Mette Matilda
Ancient Fears Under the Streetlights
30 May–19 June 2025
My exhibition Ancient Fears Under the Streetlights features multi-material sculptures of insect-like creatures and a video work that dives into mossy forests. The works are inspired by the balance of physical and psychological states of the body as well as by insects, natural materials and forms, and the body itself.
I occasionally suffer from anxiety and have panic attacks. The attacks are awful, but afterwards I often think of our ancestors. They had to fear things like cave bears that could crush their skulls with one bite. This fear was so deeply embedded in our bodies that when I have a stomach ache, my brain thinks that I am close to death and I should be afraid and start panicking. My works were born from those thoughts on dark evenings in rural Japan as I struggled with anxiety and tried to distract my mind by going for walks. Numerous spiders lived along my route, spinning their webs on branches hanging over the road. The spiders were scary, but they also served as vessels into which I could displace my feelings of discomfort. This experience led to the creation of insect-like sculptures using organic materials. Twisted tree branches as their legs support their growth-like “bodies” made of red clay, papier-mâché, dried plants and wool, into which human body parts made of silicone are fused. The video work is set in Japan’s breathing mossy forests.
Mette Matilda is a Helsinki-based artist working with sculptures and installations. She graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree from Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts in 2024. Mette Matilda’s works are based on personal emotional experiences, which then evolve and resemble natural organisms.
Thank you
Finnish Art Society
instagram: @mette.matilda
