EXHIBITION

The work of Manuel Mathieu manifests itself through a deep connection with the hidden and suppressed areas of the body, mind, and soul. His distinctive visual language emerges through a shamanistic approach that involves a state of surrender. This opening up of consciousness allows for an exploration of the invisible forces that shape our world and affect our individual and collective lives. In constant dialogue with themes such as physicality, invisibility, and spirituality, Mathieu explores the subjects of historical violence, erasure, and trauma in order to access healing, resilience, and freedom for all.

Unity in Darkness is the artist’s most comprehensive exhibition to date, featuring new and recent paintings, drawings, ceramics, a video sculptural installation, works that expand his multidisciplinary practice to include mosaic, and his most recent foray into the exploration of scent with a large-scale, immersive olfactory installation.

Looking up into the atrium, you can see a new work that introduces us to the artist’s questions about physicality and the body which is the vessel through which we access our deeper emotional and psychological states. This work also introduces us to Mathieu’s material vocabulary. The forming of clay and burning of cotton fabric call to mind ritualistic processes that give us a glimpse into Mathieu’s methodology.

Drawing us forward is Abundance and Drought, a large mosaic work produced in 2024. Created as part of the research for his monumental public art project at the Édouard-Montpetit REM station, this work engages in a dialogue with themes of memory, transformation, and impermanence. The painstaking labour involved in such an elaborate creation brings up notions of meditative patience and the contemplation of time.

As you head into the first gallery, you are confronted with a whirlwind of sensations stimulated by a congregation of new and recent paintings, as well as the debut of a new sculptural work. We are immersed in a cauldron of vibrations and motion that both disturb and reassure. Mathieu’s works compel us to dive in, letting go of hesitation. They ask us to contemplate their interiority and by extension prompt us to make contact with the darker corners of our own hearts and minds. Another layer of dynamic tension comes again through the confrontation of materials that the artist brings together. The swirl of energy may bring us into communion with something bigger than ourselves, perhaps a higher power—with wonder.

In contrast to the first gallery, this space is one of calming introspection, where we encounter a gathering of drawings, many of them new, as well as paintings and the debut of another new sculptural installation. For the artist, this gallery has the feel of a laboratory for experimentation where the works on display are the result of allowing new possibilities to spring naturally from the source in their purest form, revealing the elasticity of his sensibilities. At the same time, Mathieu finds drawing to be a very demanding medium that requires constant precision, where each mark must carry a specific meaning. This paradox reveals the effort required to let go while tuning into the unconscious with intention. The new sculptural installation is made from rebar, most often used in building construction, that hints at his exploration of the astounding capacity of the body to be absent and present at the same time. Ceramic items and other objects offer clues about the souls that occupy these invisible bodies.

Situated in the heart of the building, this gallery presents a new video installation from which the exhibition takes its name. Filmed in a single shot, a flaming match flares and almost burns out before being ignited by another match, which then passes its flame to another match, and so on, again and again. This perpetual dance becomes a gesture of solidarity and determination towards our common survival in the face of real danger. The installation also consists of a multitude of spherical ceramic works which have become a signature element of Mathieu’s artistic vocabulary. Placed throughout the space, these works gaze at us like hundreds of eyes that simultaneously witness our vulnerability while serving as talismans of protection. Made together with the many hands of the PHI team, this collaborative process underscores the notion of teamwork and community. The imagery of the flame along with the sculptural elements of the installation serve as a metaphor for the capacity of individual action to nurture universal consciousness. By keeping hope and resistance alive, we can confront the harsh reality of our many global challenges.

Mathieu’s most recent foray into the exploration of scent expands on his investigation of the invisible. Scent escapes the human gaze yet possesses mystical powers that are in dialogue with the body and the material world. Perfume has played a paramount role in spiritual rituals, to purify and to protect. Scent is also used as an extension of the aura and the absent body, as a person’s perfume can linger long after they have left the room. Our olfactory sense is the most powerful for triggering memories, as smell is directly connected to the part of our brain responsible for emotion and memory formation. In this gallery we encounter the artist’s first ever olfactory installation, Ciel et Terre or “sky and earth,” allowing us to perceive, detect, and imagine more subtle dimensions of existence. You are invited to enter the structure, whose shape suggests a tent or shelter, wherein you can discover a specially formulated perfume. Designed as a collective experience, this work gently emphasizes that it is our senses that are the essence of our bodies and unite us with all sentient beings. Another quiet work, Blue Echo, can be found in the alcove space as you pass through the opening that is partially shrouded by a large piece of fabric that has been charged with specific energy.

Undulating both conceptually and energetically, Manuel Mathieu’s work asks us to let go in order to connect. His alchemical engagement with a specific set of materials and processes creates works that compel us to plumb the depths of our souls. Unity in Darkness is an invitation to surrender to an introspective journey that may elevate mindfulness and compassion.

Text: Cheryl Sim

The Education Department offers on-site group visits for school, academic, community, and language school groups. The group visit can be combined with a creative workshop.

To make a reservation for your group, please fill our online form.