Neo Matloga (b. 1993 in Limpopo, South Africa) is recognized for his intricate and layered collages and paintings that explore everyday life. Matloga’s new collage-paintings act as extensions of his curiosity around image-making, and outlets for his fascination with spectacle. As he explores an expanding lexicon of figuration, he places emphasis on crafting micro-narratives that are heavily laden with tension. He observes, ‘In character I may be reserved, however I do nurse my deep secret of loving drama in these paintings, it’s something I really wanted to squeeze out’. Each work draws inspiration from a vast range of sources – be it the artist’s childhood memories, his dreams and travels, or perhaps another artwork, a newspaper article, a story or a recent conversation. He participated in the prestigious De Ateliers residency in Amsterdam from 2016 to 2018, and in that last year won the Koninklijke Prijs voor Vrije Schilderkunst (Royal Award for Modern Painting). Notable collections include SMAK, Gent, The Dean Collection, USA, and Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, NL.