Matthew Leak

Transporting an ancient artform into the context of contemporary culture, Matthew Leak creates highly detailed large-scale mosaics that are notably different from those of his contemporaries. In juxtaposing other mediums with the predominant material of ceramic, the artist has developed a distinct style that sets him apart from others.

Born in Yorkshire to Mancunian parents, Matthew hoped to pursue a career in music but life took him on different paths leading him to running a successful recruitment business instead. Always yearning creativity however, Matthew in recent years decided to seek inspiration in his spare time and after moving to Manchester became fascinated by the pop culture mosaics he would see around the city. Intrigued by this artform, he began to explore and experiment with how he could combine different mediums to create mosaic art with added depth, interest and narrative.

Influenced by history, cultures and the human condition, a recent piece titled ‘Mankind’ relates to the human need to document the world around them. The artist has positioned his central mosaic figure upon a background of illuminated manuscripts, the media in which our ancestors would tell stories of love, life and death.

It did not surprise us to discover that Matthew Leak spends between 150 to 300 hours creating each mosaic. His attention to detail is incredible, each piece of art demonstrates a highly accomplished level of skill; we are excited to be introducing his work to the gallery.

‘I am constantly thinking of new ideas and going through design processes, some work, some don’t. I try not to think too much about whether it will sell, and run with the belief that if I like it, other people will too’.