The Market For Emerging Artist Sebastian Chaumeton Is Red Hot. Maeve Doyle Explains Why.

Sebastian Chaumeton is a young, emerging artist, with a story to tell. After signing with Maddox in 2019 his trajectory has been impressive, with a residency and two solo shows in London followed by exhibitions in Hong Kong and Tapei. So how has Sebastian Chaumeton established himself as one of the world’s most popular emerging talents? Maeve Doyle, Maddox Artistic Director tells us why.

Q: What is it about Sebastian’s work that excites you?

Sebastian Chaumeton is a multi-linguist of art – he can speak every language of art and every language of modern culture.  He has a Hockney type of talent - he can turn his hand to any kind of medium and Little Palette is a testament to this - from claywork to painting, to photography and craft. His first language is visual, and his technical ability is exceptional. He is a shape-shifter– he studies artists and art movements, and metabolises new movements, his work acts as a jumping-off point to springboard into the future. 

Q: Why is there such a strong demand for the work of Sebastian Chaumeton?

Anyone who is interested in Murakami, Kusama and Pop Culture should invest in Sebastian and in his growth potential. Maddox supported his development from his graduate show, gave him a residency and a solo show. His early success in Asia is a further indicator of his wide appeal.  Sebastian is a young artist with a great deal of success achieved, but he is still in his 20s and has a bright future ahead of him. With deep integrity and a dedication to his craft, Sebastian’s practice has solid foundation, yet continues to evolve.

 SEBASTIAN CHAUMETON, MR CHAUMETON, 2022

Q: What are the messages behind his work? Who can we compare him to in the art world?

Sebastian’s art has ‘wall power’ – his work promotes conversation and slows down the viewing process.  This is intentional, Sebastian wants to expose our preconceptions, our ideals and make us think out loud.  Similar to KAWS, Sebastian offers nostalgia, with his eyes firmly on the future.  Sebastian is more of a Neo-KAWS than a contemporary of his, 20 years Brian Donnely’s junior, Chaumeton is a digital native, a Gen Z ‘zoomer’ who understands the impact of data misuse, meme culture and AI.  Like KAWS, he is known for appropriating beloved characters from his childhood.  Beneath the playful surface of his art, Seb presents a strong political message, a strong social commentary is hiding behind his characters and cartoons.  

 SEBASTIAN CHAUMETON, MR SHRIGLEY, 2022

Q: Chaumeton clearly has an appreciation of art history. Do you think this reflects in his current exhibition?

In Little Palette, Sebastian engages in silent conversations with all of the masters of contemporary art.  In doing so, Sebastian is carving his own place in the future of art history.  He is asking viewers to consider what they think is artistic talent. This show questions our taste and deconstructs our learned biases, he is asking us to look inside ourselves to think again about what we know as ‘good art’. 

With an established collector base across both hemispheres, the collectors of Seb Chaumeton’s work will watch him with certainty in 2023, as the demand for his art continues to grow. 

Little Palette by Sebastian Chaumeton is now open at our Maddox Street location.