Two Boys in a Tree

Matthew Krishanu (1980 - )

oil on canvas

2019

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  • About the work
    Location
    Country: UK
    City: London
    Place: Government Art Collection

    Two Boys in a Tree draws on Matthew Krishanu’s memories from his childhood memories spent in Bangladesh, presenting him climbing a tree with his older brother. Many of Krishanu’s paintings capture the childhood gaze of these early experiences and the distinctive bond between the artist and his sibling.

    Jenni Lomax, former director of Camden Arts Centre, has written of his work:

    The image, the scale, the colours and the volume he chooses for a painting all carry authenticity but are not intended as true documentation or a means of illustrating an event. Neither is clouding his work with nostalgia: instead of looking back he is conjuring the atmosphere of a memory into the reality of now. [...] While standing firmly in the present, the figures in the paintings are not charged with making a point or conveying a fixed meaning, nor are they judgemental. Formed in such a way that lends dignity and autonomy to the content, each of Matthew Krishanu’s paintings is very much of its self: returning any scrutiny – out there and up for a conversation.


  • About the artist
    Born in Bradford, Matthew Krishanu lived in Bangladesh from early childhood before his family moved back to England when he was 12. He graduated from Exeter University with a BA in Fine Art and English Literature in 2001; and from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London in 2009 with an MA in Fine Art. His work explores constructed narratives involving themes of memory, art history and autobiography. Krishanu has exhibited his work widely in the UK and internationally. Solo exhibitions include 'Picture Plane', Niru Ratnam Gallery, London (2020); 'A Murder of Crows', Ikon Gallery Birmingham (2019); and 'The Sun Never Sets', Huddersfield Art Gallery and Midlands Art Centre, Birmingham (2019-2018). Group exhibitions featuring his work include 'Mixing It Up: Painting Today', Hayward Gallery, London (2021); 'New Figurations: Matthew Krishanu and Sosa Joseph', Jhaveri Contemporary, Mumbai, India (2019); and 'Contemporary Masters from Britain', Yantai Art Museum; Artall Gallery & Jiangsu Art Gallery, Nanjing; Tianjin Academy of Fine Art, China (2017). His work featured in the John Moores Painting Prize exhibitions of 2020 and 2018 at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. In the UK, Krishanu’s work is represented in public collections including the Arts Council Collection, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and Huddersfield Art Gallery; and international collections including Kiran Nadar Art Museum, Delhi, India, Tianjin Academy of Art, China, and Komechak Art Gallery, Chicago. Krishanu is a visiting lecturer at Goldsmiths and Chelsea College of Arts.
  • Explore
    Places
    Bangladesh
    Subjects
    tree, boy, child, memory, childhood
    Materials & Techniques
    canvas, oil, oil paint, oil painting
  • Details
    Artist
    Matthew Krishanu (1980 - )
    Title
    Two Boys in a Tree
    Date
    2019
    Medium
    oil on canvas
    Dimensions
    height: 61.0 cm; width: 45.6 cm; depth: 2.5 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from the artist, with funds raised from print sales from the Robson Orr TenTen Award, a GAC/Outset Annual Commission, 2019
    Provenance
    The artist; from whom purchased by Outset on behalf of UK Government Art Collection with funds raised from print sales from the Robson Orr TenTen Award, a GAC/Outset Annual Commission, December 2019
    GAC number
    18836