V slikarskih imaginacijah Mateja Metlikoviča so zabeleženi avtorjevi spontani ustvarjalni impulzi in zamisli. Porajajo se v dialogu med intenzivnimi čustvi, ki jih zaznamujejo abstraktna barvna ozadja in simbolno močnimi pomeni, ki jih izpisujejo kaligrafske poteze čopiča. Za upodobitev abstraktnih pojmov slikar uporabi znake, simbole in arhetipske podobe: ptico, angela, srce, oko, ribo, človeško figuro obraz, objem ali poljub zaljubljencev ... Avtor se pri snovanju svojih del sklicuje na raznolike vire: išče vsebinske povezave v svetopisemski Visoki pesmi, se navdihuje pri glasbi in besedilih skupine Pink Floyd, pesmih Leonarda Cohena ter glasbi Astorja Piazzolle in Oliviera Messiaena. Hkrati pozorno premišljuje pomenljive dogodke iz svojega življenja in se navezuje na dediščino slovenske in evropske likovne umetnosti. Ob tem mu vseskozi uspeva razvijati edinstven in prepoznaven likovni izraz, ki v ubranem prepletu potez in barv izkazuje intelektualno, duhovno in čustveno globino.
Matej Metlikovič's IMAGINATIONS record the artist's spontaneous thoughts and creative impulses, as are evoked in a continuous dialogue between intense emotions, portrayed with rapidly painted vibrant colour backgrounds and strong symbolic meanings, vividly depicted by the calligraphic strokes of his paintbrush … The painter looks to various sources when creating his art: he finds inspiration in the Biblical Song of Songs, is moved by the music and lyrics of Pink Floyd, the songs of Leonard Cohen and the compositions of Astor Piazzolla and Olivier Messiaen. At the same time, he reflects carefully upon meaningful events that have enriched his own life and finds important influences in the heritage of Slovenian and European fine arts. In so doing, Matej Metlikovič has succeeded in developing a unique and recognizable artistic expression that through a fluid interweaving of strokes and colours eloquently reflects profound intellectual, spiritual and emotional depth.