Matthew Callaby, known as MrCallaby, is a British artist currently living and working in Bristol. His acrylic canvases (and ceramics, too) are populated by chubby, playful characters who inhabit a colorful, slightly strange universe—halfway between the tender and the unsettling.

His style is instantly recognizable: an illustrative language that brings anthropomorphic figures to life, often suspended between cartoon and surreal fairy tale. There’s always an unstable balance between the adorable and the disturbing—as if every smile hid a shadow, and every creature were ready to surprise with an unexpected gesture.

Despite these ambiguities, Callaby’s main goal is to bring a touch of cheerfulness with his playful approach to the art world. His works don’t aim to reassure or to shock, but to transmit an energy that draws the viewer in and invites them into a parallel world. It’s an invitation to let go, to laugh at quirky details, to rediscover lightness within settings that feel both familiar and alien at the same time.