"Mata": A Series Created During the Pandemic

Speaker(s): Alice Shintani
Duration: 4 min
© Victor & Simon

Though it’s dark, still I sing, Works from the 34th Bienal de São Paulo marked the Bienal’s first presentation in both Europe and France. On view at LUMA Arles from 2022 to 2023 in Les Forges, the exhibition brought together a selection of works exploring perception and transformation while examining the ways multiple realities can coexist. Installations, sound pieces, paintings, videos, photographs, and letters unfolded into a journey shaped by a wide range of forms and narratives.

What does the word Mata mean? How did its layered meanings shape Alice Shintani's work? And how did the context of the pandemic influence the creation of this series?

In this conversation, Alice Shintani reflects on the origins of Mata and the circumstances in which the series was created. She discusses the many meanings embedded in the work and explains why moving beyond a literal reading is essential to understanding her paintings.