Mathieu Mercier

Reference monograph

Mathieu Mercier’s work explores the relationship between contemporary mass-produced consumer objects and their aesthetic origins in early 20th-century art and design. He frequently employs common household and industrial materials to create his sculptural, photographic, and wall-based works.

Mercier’s work often refers to utopian movements such as De Stijl and Russian Constructivism. One series of sculptures, titled “Drum and Bass,” recreates classic Mondrian compositions out of black DIY shelving and primary-colored household objects such as plastic bins, extension cables, and stationery folders. In “Plastic Anchors Wall,” Mercier again traces the use of primary colors from early Modernist art, through to their function as color-coding for different sizes of screw anchors.

By creating a dialogue between utopian art and design icons and contemporary mass-produced objects, Mercier highlights the evolution of the meaning of “modernity,” from a social project, to a capital gain.

Mathieu Mercier (*1970), lives and works in Paris, and has been widely shown throughout Europe for the past seven years (Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris; Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon; Centre Pompidou; Kunstmuseum, Bonn; Manifesta 4, etc.).

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