Mr Callaby 'Vicious Circle' Original Available

Artist: Mr Callaby
Title: Vicious Circle
Medium: Framed Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 130 x 142 cm
Edition: UNIQUE
Price: £3,500

 

Matthew Callaby, known professionally as Mr Callaby, is a British contemporary artist based in Bristol, known for his distinctive illustrative style that features cute, chubby anthropomorphic characters. His diverse practice spans paintings (often in acrylic on canvas), prints, ceramics, and charcoal works.

Callaby's work is notable for its "superflat" compositions and a unique blend of humor and sinister undertones, drawing inspiration from the "golden age of American animation" and childhood exposure to shows on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. His art often presents a tension, seesawing between adorable and disturbing, yet consistently aims to inject a sense of fun and emotion into everyday objects.

Initially, Callaby pursued a career in design and worked as an art director in advertising for seven years before fully committing to his artistic dream. This background in design has significantly shaped his current artistic practice, which often involves working on a massive scale, with compositions evolving from small, constant sketches made while out and about. Mr Callaby has gained international recognition, with his work appealing to a wide range of collectors.

Mr Callaby 'Get The Champagne, You Did The Bare Minimum' Available

Artist: Matthew Callaby aka Mr Callaby
Title: Get The Champagne, You Did The Bare Minimum
Medium: Giclee Print
Size: (A1) 59.4 x 84.1 cm
Edition: OPEN
Price: £140

Matthew Callaby, professionally known as Mr Callaby, is a British contemporary artist born in 1990 and currently based in Bristol. His instantly recognisable acrylic paintings introduce viewers to a candy-coloured universe populated by chubby, wide-eyed characters that balance on the tightrope between adorable and unsettling. Inspired by childhood nights spent watching Cartoon Network and by the graphic clarity he learned while studying design, Callaby builds each canvas with laborious precision, brushing four to six ultra-flat coats until the surface resembles polished plastic.

The process begins as tiny sketches made on trains or in cafés, loose drawings of anthropomorphic fruit, balloons or animals that later balloon into large scale compositions where subtle shadows hint at emotional depth beneath the glossy cuteness. That tension sweet yet vaguely eerie has become his signature, earning him solo shows at Helm Gallery and sell-out releases on Artsy, while his ceramics and charcoal works extend the cast of characters into three dimensions and monochrome dreamscapes.

After eight years of painting at night while working in advertising, Callaby saved enough to attempt six months of full-time art, a leap that quickly paid off when collectors connected with the playful sincerity of his vision. Social media now spreads his images worldwide, yet he remains cautious of influencer labels, preferring to protect the integrity of each handmade piece rather than flood the market with prints.

Whether rendering a smiling milk carton or a teary ice-cream cone, Mr Callaby invites us to confront the soft underbelly of consumer culture with a grin, proving that seriousness and fun can coexist on the same immaculate plane.