Mattia Guarnera, a painter born and raised in South East London, draws from his Italian and Ghanaian heritage to shape a distinct artistic perspective. His dual background informs a nuanced approach to navigating cultural, social, and personal identities, fueling his exploration of themes like coexistence, duality, and the balance of opposing forces. This perspective is reflected in his work, which has been exhibited globally at prestigious venues such as Frieze Art Fair, the Royal Academy, Saatchi Gallery Art Fair, The Hole NYC, and Christie’s Late.

Guarnera’s practice centers on the human condition, focusing on overlooked moments of everyday life. By studying figures, textures, fabrics, and objects through studies, he isolates fleeting visual moments, romanticising the mundane. His work transforms ordinary scenes into catalysts for deeper reflection, challenging viewers to reconsider their perceptions of modern life.

This “romanticising” is more than an aesthetic—it’s a philosophy. Guarnera embraces life’s chaos and imperfections, finding beauty in adversity. Personal experiences, such as his leukemia diagnosis at 16 and the loss of his father, profoundly shaped his worldview. Despite these hardships, he reflects on those years with a sense of resilience, conveying through his art that joy and pain are inseparable aspects of the human experience.

A key aspect of his practice is the pursuit of what he calls “innate synchronicity,” influenced by Carl Jung’s concept of synchronicity as life’s meaningful coincidences. Guarnera views his creative process as following an intuitive trail of allegorical imagery, connecting with the subconscious beyond language. His work is a collage of external influences, inviting viewers to interpret layered meanings that transcend the surface.

Digital sources play a pivotal role in his art, serving as both inspiration and a form of collaboration with the “algorithmic consciousness” that permeates contemporary life. This engagement reflects a “Post Digital” state—described by artist Oli Epp—where the digital and physical worlds intersect seamlessly. Guarnera’s primary medium, the airbrush, enhances this post-digital aesthetic, emphasizing flatness and artificiality while evoking the distance of screen-based interactions.

The airbrush, neither wholly contemporary nor traditional, embodies the dualities central to his philosophy. Its direct yet soft effect mirrors the tension between the natural and artificial, reinforcing his broader exploration of coexistence and liminality. Through this medium, Guarnera invites viewers to reflect on how opposing ideas can harmonize, offering a compelling meditation on the complexities of modern existence.