Matias Larzabal is an Uruguayan-born, and Toronto-based artist. In his work, he draws from contemporary painting techniques and incorporates new mediums to explore themes such as cultural identity, collective memory, personal histories, and the natural landscape. Matias was raised in a community-run orphanage with his parents and siblings, and emigrated to Canada in 2010. Both his childhood story and immigration experience help enrich his artistic vision as well as inform his creative process. Matias is a self-taught artist who started out as a muralist in Uruguay. He completed his studies at the Don Bosco Institute in Las Piedras (Uruguay) where he specialized in the history of architecture and art. In 2014, Matias participated in Cuba’s Annual “Evento de Ramon'' in the capacity of Artist in-Residence. In December 2019, he completed a one-week Artist in-Residency program at Birdsong Studio in Okotoks (Alberta, Canada). In May 2022, he opened Larzabal Art, a one-year pop up gallery in Toronto's west-end. Matias used this space to create with his daughter, emerging artist Ayla Larzabal, and to collaborate with other fellow artists from the city’s Latin American community. Matias's body of work is extensive and his paintings have been exhibited in various shows and festivals in Canada and abroad. In keeping with his commitment to giving back, Matias has led workshops with Mindcamp Canada to facilitate creativity and connectivity through art.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

"My art is a creative vehicle and a healing tool; it is instrumental in my growth as a human, parent, partner and artist. It is also my chosen medium for weaving and telling stories. My worldview is shaped by my childhood experience of growing up in a community-run orphanage; as well as my Uruguayan identity and the magical realism art movement in Latin America. Very much like a wild garden where forces of nature conspire to create and nurture; my vivid imagination informs my artistic process as my hands roam uninhibited and unrestrained, using paints to manifest spaces where I feel safe and free."