Alba Matilla's practice constantly crosses boundaries between the physical and the virtual, between the landscape and the individual who inhabits it, and between the manipulated and organic nature that occurs in spaces in a context of abandonment. The main themes she addresses have to do with the processes of deindustrialization and coexistence with uncertain and contaminated futures and, above all, the poignancy of living in these uncertainties and ruptures. In her methodology as well as in her research work, Matilla feels comfortable working in "non-places" that sometimes wander through painting, other times through digital and interactive installations, and sometimes both at the same time. As for painting, she mainly establishes herself in the delirium of virtual landscapes, always phosphorescent, luminescent and perfect, in contradiction to the broken physical world they represent, experimenting with formats that range from bare canvas to the introduction of sewing elements or wooden frames that become part of the painting itself. In general, his projects pursue a longing for identity, home and refuge, and constantly seek the need to create peaceful environments for the viewer who passes through them, despite representing hostile and violent climatic realities.
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Alba Matilla (Avilés, 1998) completed a degree in Fine Arts at the University of Vigo and a Master's degree in Research and Creation in Contemporary Art at the UPV/EHU. She has participated in artist residencies at centres such as Matadero Madrid, Centre d'Art Lo Pati, LABoral Centro de Arte or Dos Mares (Marseille), among others. Her work has been exhibited individually at the EXHIBIT Gallery in Santander (2024) and the Montehermoso Cultural Centre in Vitoria-Gasteiz (2024), and collectively at the Antiguo Instituto Jovellanos Cultural Centre, Gijón (2024); LABoral Centro de Arte, Gijón (2024); Sala Borrón, Oviedo (2024); Factoría Cultural, Avilés (2024); Upper Gallery, UAL, London (2023); at the CTJV Gallery in Monçao, Portugal (2022), and at the Pazo de la Cultura in Pontevedra (2021), among others. She has participated in contemporary art festivals such as ECOS Festival d'arquitectura y territoriu (Asturias, 2024), Eufònic (Tarragona, 2024) or INTERSECCIÓN (A Coruña, 2022). Two of her works are part of the HAMACA video archive. In 2024 she was awarded the “Asturias Joven” Prize for Plastic Arts.
© IDC for Matadero Madrid (2024)