ART // MSG - A Colourful Life

Urban, edgy, colourful and so very cool - these words describe the work of Maurice Golotta aka MSG. Taking a tour of his studio recently I was lucky enough to see not only some of his fantastic new work but I was also privy to the heartland of the artist's creative space. Neon splattered walls, works in progress and the most colourful toilet I've ever seen!

With his popularity accelerating you may have seen some of MSG's work appear on The Block and in one my fave Melbourne furniture stores Fenton & Fenton. With roots in graffiti and graphic design MSG's artwork is often bold and colourful with a strong emphasis on design.  As a kid growing up in the 80’s he was a sponge for pop culture and the golden era of graphic design (pre computers) where things still had a handmade/ hand finished quality to them. His work reflects this sense of nostalgia more often than not especially in his pop art body of work.

Working with a range of different mediums from Acrylics, oils, spray paint, screenprinting and resins. At the other end of MSG’s graphic pop art work is his Abstract paintings, where colours bleed, blend and crash into each other creating mountainous geometrical colour landscapes.

‘Colours are like people, everyone has a different relationship with one another. Some compliment each other while others clash.’ MSG

Catching my eye were the canvas tiles, an eclectic mix of hand crafted screen prints on canvas with a super high gloss resin coating. With over 80 different designs in the collection you can put together your own unique selection of tiles to create a mosaic style artwork. From urns to sculls, Italian playing cards to his signature hand (to name just a few), the tiles can be arranged in an infinite number of ways.

Many of MSG's pieces salute his Italian heritage with a pop art twist, his series of Italian posters come in various urn and colour options and have attracted a wide following. Taking a step in the other direction I also love his 'Colourful Life' skeletal hand, an iconic MSG piece he has become known for.

Not only capturing the intangible essence of cool, MSG's work also has a sense of fun and a unique vibrancy. Taking the concept of one of his static pieces into a live environment with the 'Disco with the Lot' VIP room at a recent music festival saw this essence captured and catapulted into life.

Below are a selection of images taken in the studio and a small sample of his work. The MSG Gallery is open by appointment and located at 126 Bay St in Brighton.
http://www.msggallery.com.au/

Ending with the most colourful cubical I have ever seen!