A Bold Comeback Shapes the Work of Joshef Matè on Display in NYC

New York, NY, December 18, 2011 --(PR.com)-- After an organ transplant helped him recover from a tragic illness, Joshef Maté immersed himself in his painting with all the gusto he thought he had lost forever. That experience has definitely shaped his art; his abstracts are directly inspired by the emotions he felt when he was unwell. Maté uses bold colors, and his work is often filled with pain and frenetic movement. Yet at the same time, there is a powerful sensitivity in his relaxed brushstrokes and informal use of acrylics, and his images have a mesmerizing effect. It's almost as if "an emotional sensation develops in a progression on the canvas," as Maté explains it. These informal paintings display an incredible depth of feeling, and the artist draws some inspiration from Manzoni, the Italian prisoner of war who began painting while in captivity.

Joshef Maté was born in Italy in Carate Brianza. He recently began to show his work, which has received acclaim in his homeland and is beginning to draw attention in the United States and China.

Exhibition Dates: December 23, 2011 – January 12, 2012
Reception: Thursday, December 29, 2011, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, New York City
Gallery Hours: Tues – Sat, 11a.m. - 6 p.m.
Event URL: http://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Joshef_Mate.aspx

About the Exhibition:
Celebrate the holiday season by bringing the warmth and energy of the Mediterranean to your day through art that will stay with you for a lifetime. This winter, Agora Gallery is proud to present two exhibitions that will brighten your weeks and leave you full of optimism and wonder. Born of Fire: Carlo Proietto / a Solo Exhibition presents the work of a talented Italian artist whose medium of choice is classical pyrography. He uses fire and intense heat to create his intriguing artworks in a way that shows why this unusual medium deserves to become part of the contemporary art world. Evocative, powerful and bursting with vitality, the works combine a realistic perspective on the present with determined hope for the future. Equally inspirational is the art of The Odyssey Within: an Exhibition of Fine Art by Greek and Italian Artists, which embraces the rich potential of the world and encourages its audience to share the same enthusiasm for the hidden aspects of what we see. Poignantly personal yet appealing universal, these works will find echoes in viewers’ own experiences and journeys.

Featured Artists:
The Odyssey Within: an Exhibition of Fine Art by Greek and Italian Artists
Vito Aroma | Fausto Arrighi | Fulvio Biancatelli | Perry Bianchini |
Nietta d''Atena | Ermeti Martina | Mara Fabbro | Veronica Ghio | Maurizio Giarnetti | Guglielmi Giovanni | Giovanna Grannò | Paola Guerra |
Antonis Hambas | Maria Kavvou-Vlataki | Lisa Londi | Luciana Manelli | Vito Matera | Ilde Maurizi | Joshef Matè | Monica Morganti | Armida "Pupa" Nardi | Palma Nasoni | Inna Orlik | Bruno Pozzi | Adolfo Pretorino | Luciano Primavera | Alessio Ranaldi | Floriana Rigo

Born of Fire: Carlo Proietto / a Solo Exhibition
Carlo Proietto

About Agora Gallery
Agora Gallery is a fine art gallery, established in 1984 and located in the heart of New York City’s Chelsea art galleries district. It is famous for showcasing a spectacular array of talented artists from around the world and around the corner, while providing quality and original art to collectors. Gallery II, an elegant adjacent gallery space, gives artists the ideal area for a solo or group exhibition of their own, organized and publicized by Agora Gallery. The gallery also publishes ARTisSpectrum Magazine, a bi-annual magazine that is distributed to museums, galleries, art institutions and art schools around the world. It provides artists, collectors, museums, galleries, art organizations and enthusiasts with access to the work of international talented artists as well as feature articles, reviews and interviews. Agora Gallery is also the sponsor of ARTmine, one of the most comprehensive resources available worldwide to view and purchase fine art. The gallery also runs Agora Art Blog, a blog designed to provide helpful information and advice for artists while providing a forum for artists to help one another by sharing their experiences and thoughts.

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