Matt Last aka “Adnate” (born 1984) is an artist, street artist and muralist from Melbourne who now mostly paints photo-realistic street art and murals using freehand spray paint and/or acrylics. Adnate started his career in 2001 as a young teenager ‘tagging’ and painting letters, progressing in 2011 to his current large-scale realistic street art portraiture style, to which he is now world-famous. Adnate’s style is based on the Italian Renaissance painting technique chiaroscuro often used by artists such as Caravaggio.

• In 2012, Adnate became a member of the much revered and prolific graffiti and street art AWOL Crew with fellow artists Deams, Itch, Lucy Lucy, and Slicer.
• Many works were collaborations with various Crew members and their works were scattered around Melbourne.
• Examples can be found around Melbourne’s CBD (Hosier Lane, Tattersalls Lane), and its inner city and northern suburbs (Fitzroy, Collingwood, Brunswick and Preston) as well as at overseas destinations such as Singapore, London and New York.

Adnate slowly increased his solo work and became sort out for commissions from companies, brands and individuals.  One of his most high-profile commissions is still visible, high above Hosier Lane and was commissioned by the City of Melbourne as part of its $20,000 Hosier inc Project Paint Up! 

• It is a 23 metre portrait on the rear wall of the McDonald House building depicting an Indigenous First Nations boy overlooking Melbourne’s most prominent Indigenous site, Birrarung Marr.

In September 2013, Adnate visited Indigenous Australian First Nation’s remote communities in Arnhem Land and in the Kimberly in the Norther Territory as their guest. He spent his time photographing them which now feature in the portraits he paints. When viewing these, it is clear that Adnate’s time spent in the Territory had a deep and long lasting effect on him. Aiming to raise awareness of indigenous issues, Adnate worked with a cultural advisor, to ensure there were no sensitivities underpinning his artwork depictions.

Adnate strongly believes in giving back to the communities to which his subjects belong and his monumental works portraying Indigenous children have captivated viewers around the world.

• Discover more about Adnate at his website or follow him on Instagram @adnate

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