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Matthew Smith (Mattko)

Matt works out of Bristol and the West Country, he began making images of British culture in latter part of the 80’s and has not stopped since.

 

Educated at North Staffs Poly, London College of Printing, Photographers at Duckspool and the University of Life; his personal brand of diary documentary work was born out of opposition to mainstream mass media lies about travellers, free parties and festivals, as rave united the people of this country in a massive social phenomenon that provoked Government into legislating against diy entertainment and housing.

 

Politicised by and involved in the response to that process, he has won awards, been published in magazines and had exhibitions. First published by diy media organisations like Squall and Schnews, as well as The New Statesman, Matt’s work charts rave from its origins, through criminalisation, to the internationally successful festival creative industry that we have today.

 

Much more concerned with the recent social history of his contemporaries than celebrity, he is a founder member of the PYMCA agency. Matt tracks the tag #MATTKO

 

Courtesy of artist’s website