“A transparent entity allows one to see beyond itself, that is, it allows the gaze to wander elsewhere. In the representation as an “object”, the female figure becomes a transparent medium in which a certain degree of annulment of the represented subject is involved. Such takeaway allows the form to make itself open to continuous reformulations and multiple use.”

Matilde Solbiati

About the project

La Boulangerie! is proud to announce its second exhibition titled Vie Privée by Italian artist Matilde Solbiati.

The exhibition will premier a series of installations that illustrate Solbiati’s fascination with women’s figures. Or, as she puts it, “the object-transparency and subject-intimacy investigation”: two dichotomies of the forms of representation of the female body.

Matilde Solbiati:

“With the works presented in Vie privée, I would like to share my fascination with the female figure. My interest stems from what seems to me to be an inherent feature of the forms of representation of the female body, namely that of being able to be simultaneously and alternately “object” and “subject”.

I chose to translate the ability to be an “object” through the element of transparency. A transparent entity allows one to see beyond itself, that is, it allows the gaze to wander elsewhere. In the representation as an “object”, the female figure becomes a transparent medium in which a certain degree of annulment of the represented subject is involved. Such takeaway allows the form to make itself open to continuous reformulations and multiple use.

Instead, I addressed the feature of being a “subject” through the concept of intimacy as a place where the complexity of representation can emerge. Intimacy allowed me to explore the layering of heterogeneous and contradictory elements that underlie the shaping of the female figure. What initially appeared to be a zone of infinite possibilities turns out to be an inverted horizon from which only a partial and limited form of representation can arise.

These dichotomies – object-transparency and subject-intimacy – take shape in two distinct groups of works, respectively exposed in the first and second room of La Boulangerie!.”

photo portrait by RICCARDO BANFI

Matilde Solbiati (b. 1986) lives and works in Milan with her dog Lord. Her main research is experimenting with the technique of collage. She graduated in Philosophy at the Università degli Studi di Milano.

“A transparent entity allows one to see beyond itself, that is, it allows the gaze to wander elsewhere. In the representation as an “object”, the female figure becomes a transparent medium in which a certain degree of annulment of the represented subject is involved. Such takeaway allows the form to make itself open to continuous reformulations and multiple use.”

Matilde Solbiati

About the project

La Boulangerie! is proud to announce its second exhibition titled Vie Privée by Italian artist Matilde Solbiati.

The exhibition will premier a series of installations that illustrate Solbiati’s fascination with women’s figures. Or, as she puts it, “the object-transparency and subject-intimacy investigation”: two dichotomies of the forms of representation of the female body.

Matilde Solbiati:

“With the works presented in Vie privée, I would like to share my fascination with the female figure. My interest stems from what seems to me to be an inherent feature of the forms of representation of the female body, namely that of being able to be simultaneously and alternately “object” and “subject”.

I chose to translate the ability to be an “object” through the element of transparency. A transparent entity allows one to see beyond itself, that is, it allows the gaze to wander elsewhere. In the representation as an “object”, the female figure becomes a transparent medium in which a certain degree of annulment of the represented subject is involved. Such takeaway allows the form to make itself open to continuous reformulations and multiple use.

Instead, I addressed the feature of being a “subject” through the concept of intimacy as a place where the complexity of representation can emerge. Intimacy allowed me to explore the layering of heterogeneous and contradictory elements that underlie the shaping of the female figure. What initially appeared to be a zone of infinite possibilities turns out to be an inverted horizon from which only a partial and limited form of representation can arise.

These dichotomies – object-transparency and subject-intimacy – take shape in two distinct groups of works, respectively exposed in the first and second room of La Boulangerie!.”

About Matilde Solbiati

“When I am asked: what do you do? I usually answer: I make collages. I began when I was a teenager by cutting out eyes from fashion magazines and gluing them on my bedroom walls. In my twenties, whilst working in the fashion industry as a designer, I was never fully satisfied with my drawings so I started using the collage technique to present my ideas.

After quitting my job I had a lot of free time and I dedicated my days to making collages. I didn’t know what I was looking for and had no clue or intention to make it my job one day. It all happened in a “The way things go”* circumstance.

In the last 10 years I’ve been working with the collage technique, slowly experimenting with composition and materials. Initially I was very strict with myself and would set rules: “you can use only two different images to make a collage”, “you can not print any images, everything has to come from books and magazines”, “no words allowed” or “the final composition must look clean and proper” and so on… Thankfully one becomes older and gets easier on oneself!”

Installation views