Mathilde Forest

As the two core elements of Mathilde Forest’s work, architecture and assembly tend to act as catalysts in her approach. Over the course of Le Chantier – research project on the printed and photographic image, Mathilde has tackled these notions by conducting all manner of formal and material experiments, exploring the various possibilities afforded by the studio’s digital and analogue equipment. These trials have been wide-ranging: from screen printing on glass, to goffering on several types of paper, and printing from photopolymer plates. The latter proved especially conclusive for the faithful recreation of the textures and motifs of buildings used in the final works.

By their installative nature, the works showcased in the exhibition still bear the mark of the original architectural design. Drawing inspiration from the themes of dereliction and the conservation of tangible and intangible heritage, the artist created works that unfold in space, using transparency within an almost theatrical installation. From images collected during a recent artist residency in Brooklyn, Mathilde creates visual variations that give new form to the re-imagined traces of these singular buildings.