Marcus Matt and Samaneh Reyhani share their life and studio. They also share a sense for poetry and miracles. Artistically, however, their expressions are completely different
The first painting I saw by Marcus Matt was back in 2012. I cannot forget it. It depicted a miracle, a cherry tree in full blossom, growing in a tunnel. A group of boys witness the wonder. The cherry tree is a tribute to Carl Fredrik Hill.
Birger Sjöberg describes a similar experience in Kvartetten som sprängdes (The Quartet That Split Up). As a child, Cello follows a friend home to a dark, clattering forge. Through a small door at the far end of the forge, the boys enter another world entirely, a still, lush garden buzzing with bees. For Cello, this becomes an image of miracles in life—leaving the forge and suddenly entering the garden.
Marcus Matt waits for that moment to occur in the studio. Sometimes he waits a long time. He wants to paint in that moment when everything seems to be teeming with life, when he senses a presence...
Excerpt from exhibition catalogue text by Gertrud Sandqvist
Duo exhibition with Samaneh Reyhani
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Trelleborg Museum
Trelleborg, 2024
Exhibition catalogue