Matthew Markum  

Born in 1990 in Mission Viejo, United States 
Resides and works in Los Angeles, United States 

Education/training: 

Fall 2023-2025: Art M.A., California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA

Employment:

June 2025-Present: Community College Art Instructor (Landscape Painting), Santa Barbara Community College, Santa Barbara, CA
 
Selected group exhibitions: 

2025 See What You Can Find Vol.3, Bruhaus, Los Angeles, CA (Group Exhibition)

2025 Happy Hour, Gallery of Hermosa, Hermosa Beach, CA (Group Exhibition)

2025 Timisms, Echo Park Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (Group Exhibition)

2025 Fall Open Theme, ArtCollide Online Gallery (Online Group Show)

2025 For Him, Liam’s Den and Bubble Bar at the Venetian, Las Vegas, NV (Group Exhibition)

2025 Off the Hook, Covet Art Gallery, Oceanside, CA (Group Exhibition)

2025 Generous Pour, Roosterfish Lounge, Venice, CA (Group Exhibition)

2024 Cityscapes and Streetscapes, Santa Clarita City Hall, Santa Clarita, CA (Group Exhibition)

2024 Juried Student Show, Cal State University Northridge, Northridge, CA (Group Exhibition)

2023 Various Group Exhibitions, Artlounge Collective, Los Angeles, CA (Group Exhibition) 

2021 Pop Culture & Trashy, Shockboxx, Redondo Beach, CA (Group Exhibition) 

2021 The Artists Gallery Group Show, Tag Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (Group Exhibition) 


Selected collections: 

Matt Markum is collected by various private collectors in the United States. 
 
Selected press:

“Home is Where the Art Is” in Vanity Fair (UK) No. 720 (2020).  
“Artistic License” in Vanity Fair (UK) No. 721 (2020).  
“Picture Perfect” in Vanity Fair (UK) No. 722 (2020).  

 

My paintings explore the tension between Western culture, contemporary society, and my personal experience. Drawing from a range of current and historical sources, I weave together themes of dream interpretation, technological development, religion, and daily life in Los Angeles. These elements converge in brightly colored, surrealistic, collage-like compositions that form “disjunctive narratives.” Influenced by the history of painting, I incorporate diverse stylistic approaches, including Abstraction, Pop Art, representation, and Surrealism. My process embraces contrast—some areas are fully rendered, while others remain loose or unfinished. Personal experience is central to my work, often reflected through stylized or vernacular photographic references drawn from everyday life. Through this, I seek to bridge abstraction and representation, the physical and psychological.