About
Every so often, an artist comes along whose work carries so much inconspicuous, blatant human expression that you cannot help but feel completely floored by it - Linea Matei falls in that category. Born and raised in Södertälje, she grew up with a mother from Kiruna and a father from Romania, which has brought her a rather unique set of cultural presets. From a young age, she was aware, more than others, of how questions around identity, upbringing and belonging affects us and our relationships. These insights and inner conversations permeate her art to the core.
Despite her young age and recent graduation from Konstfack in 2023, Linea Matei is already an experienced artist. While she has toured the country with several solo exhibitions, she has also been part of a hefty number of group shows. Between 2018–2020 commissioned to produce public art in Hackney, London as well as Stockholm. In 2023, which was a big year for Matei, she joined Mischiefs, a celebrated punk feminist collective, and won this year’s ‘wow’ by the prestigious Residence Magazine Large Form Prize for her sculpture series Do you see me, with a jury motivation that says it all: ‘Naked emotions are captured in clothed heavy bodies with slightly poor posture, sculptures that offer recognition, and exhort us to tenderness, which provoke tears and a silly smile.’
While Matei’s work might remind us of some of the great visionaries of feminist art, like Louise Bourgeois and Sarah Lucas, her soft sculptural textile creations pulled off with elegance and depth evoke a different feeling: empathy. Each piece is handcrafted and filled with stones, cotton wool, and wood, inviting viewers to explore the nuances of human emotion and identity. Matei’s sculptures in Do You See Me transcend mere form and serve as poignant reflections of society’s complex fabric. Mirrors that are sewn onto each sculpture offer a glimpse into the interconnectedness of human experience. From moments of vulnerability to expressions of resilience, Linea’s artwork speaks to the universal yearning for recognition and compassion.
As human beings, it’s thought-provoking and soothing to take a walk through Linea’s world, where size and shape have become vehicles for storytelling. From towering sculptures to smaller, more intimate forms, each creation invites contemplation on the varied landscapes of human existence.
