Fragments of Memory: The Spiritual Terrain of Manuel Mathieu
Manuel Mathieu’s work blends memory, spirituality, and postcolonial history into haunting, textured forms. Through blurred faces and bleeding colors, he explores Haitian identity, political trauma, and ancestral echoes—creating art that feels both like an archive and a healing altar.
THEMUSEMETER GALLERY
About the Artist
Manuel Mathieu is a Haitian-born, Montreal-based artist whose work traverses the fault lines of history, identity, and spiritual memory. Born in Port-au-Prince in 1986, Mathieu is a graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London, and has emerged as one of the most vital voices in contemporary Caribbean and diasporic art.
His practice—rooted in painting but extending into sculpture, video, and installation—is deeply informed by Haiti’s political past and the personal legacies left in its wake. Drawing from the psychological residue of the Duvalier regime, the fractured memories of migration, and the layered language of Haitian Vodou, Mathieu’s work blurs the boundaries between abstraction and figuration, presence and disappearance.
Often textured, scraped, or scarred, his canvases behave like living documents—bearing witness to pain, resilience, and transformation. Faces half-formed, landscapes ruptured, bodies dissolving into color: these are not images of conclusion, but of process—acts of searching, remembering, and healing.
Mathieu’s work has been exhibited internationally, including solo shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami. With each piece, he seeks not to define Haiti or its diaspora, but to complicate it—to hold space for its contradictions, beauty, and survival.
In a world still reckoning with colonial erasure, Manuel Mathieu paints not only to remember, but to reimagine.
Sacred Burden (2020)
Description: A large-scale painting divided into two halves—one vibrant and colorful, the other gray and nearly empty—created using acrylic, chalk, charcoal, fabric, and tape on canvas.
Meaning & History: "Sacred Burden" reflects Haiti's ongoing political instability. The contrasting halves symbolize the duality of hope and despair within the nation's socio-political landscape. Mathieu describes being Haitian as carrying a sacred yet burdensome identity, highlighting the nation's struggles and resilience.
Source: Artsy Editorial – "Rising Haitian Painter Manuel Mathieu Explores the Complex History of His Homeland"
Author: Gameli Hamelo
Artist Exhibit
The work of Isaac Manuel Mathieu on display.
Siimone (2020)
Description: An acrylic, chalk, and charcoal portrait of Simone Duvalier, the former First Lady of Haiti, rendered with abstract and figurative techniques.
Meaning & History: "Siimone" delves into the often-overlooked roles of women in positions of power during Haiti's dictatorial regimes. By portraying Simone Duvalier, Mathieu invites reflection on her influence and the broader implications of female figures in political histories.
Source: Artsy Editorial – "Rising Haitian Painter Manuel Mathieu Explores the Complex History of His Homeland"
Author: Gameli Hamel
Totem (2024)
Description: A digital print of a photograph taken by Mathieu approximately a decade prior, depicting pieces of fabric hanging on a half-built structure with protruding iron rods.
Meaning & History: "Totem" addresses Haiti's contemporary challenges, including gang violence and political instability. The imagery of unfinished structures and tattered fabrics serves as a metaphor for the nation's ongoing struggles and the resilience of its people.
Source: Artsy Editorial – "Rising Haitian Painter Manuel Mathieu Explores the Complex History of His Homeland"
Author: Gameli Hamelo
Within the Figure (2023)
Description:
A richly textured mixed-media painting, Within the Figure balances abstraction and suggestion, with sweeping fields of ochre, green, and violet. The form of a human figure seems to emerge—then dissolve—within layered strokes and veils of pigment, creating a tension between concealment and revelation.
Meaning & History:
This piece exemplifies Mathieu’s exploration of identity, trauma, and presence through abstraction. The obscured figure represents more than a body—it becomes a vessel for memory, loss, and transformation. By refusing to define the form entirely, Mathieu invites viewers to confront how identity is fragmented, shaped by both personal and collective histories. It echoes the Haitian diasporic condition, where the self is often suspended between visibility and erasure.
The title Within the Figure suggests an inward gaze, turning attention not to the external posture of the body, but to its emotional, spiritual, and ancestral contents. The work continues Mathieu’s ongoing meditation on the limits of representation and the power of ambiguity.
Source:
Pilar Corrias Gallery – Manuel Mathieu: Within the Figure
Author Credit:
Pilar Corrias Gallery Staff
Transfiguration (2021)
Description:
Transfiguration is a mixed-media work on paper, incorporating chalk, charcoal, watercolor, pencil, black gesso, and colored pencil. The composition features layered textures and abstract forms, with subtle hints of figuration emerging through the interplay of materials. The subdued color palette and dynamic marks create a sense of depth and movement, inviting viewers to engage with the piece on both visual and emotional levels.
Meaning & History:
In Transfiguration, Mathieu explores themes of transformation and identity. The title suggests a metamorphosis, reflecting the artist's interest in the fluidity of self and the impact of personal and collective histories. The work's abstract nature allows for multiple interpretations, encouraging viewers to consider their own experiences of change and growth. This piece aligns with Mathieu's broader practice of blending abstraction and figuration to delve into complex narratives surrounding memory, trauma, and resilience.
Source:
Ocula – Manuel Mathieu Artworks
Author Credit:
Ocula Editorial Team
Study on a Brown Figure (2021)
Description:
Study on a Brown Figure is an intimate 18 x 18-inch mixed-media painting composed of acrylic, chalk, charcoal, and masking tape on canvas. The composition features a central brown-toned form that suggests a human figure, set against a textured background of layered hues. The interplay of materials and colors creates a sense of depth and movement, inviting viewers to engage with the piece on both visual and emotional levels.
Meaning & History:
This work exemplifies Mathieu’s exploration of identity, memory, and the human form through abstraction. By focusing on a singular figure rendered in earthy tones, Mathieu invites contemplation on themes of presence and absence, visibility and obscurity. The use of mixed media and the intimate scale of the piece encourage a personal connection, reflecting the artist's interest in the complexities of self-representation and the layered nature of human experience.
Source:
Ocula – Manuel Mathieu Artworks
Author Credit:
Ocula Editorial Team
Anatomy (2023)
Description:
Anatomy is a mixed-media painting measuring 172.7 x 182.9 cm, showcasing Mathieu's signature interplay of abstraction and figuration. The composition features layered textures and dynamic brushwork, with forms that suggest the human body without explicitly defining it. The use of vibrant colors and gestural marks creates a sense of movement and depth, inviting viewers to engage with the piece on both visual and emotional levels.
Meaning & History:
In Anatomy, Mathieu continues his exploration of the human form as a vessel for memory, identity, and transformation. The abstracted representation of the body reflects the complexities of personal and collective histories, particularly within the context of the Haitian diaspora. By obscuring specific features, Mathieu challenges viewers to consider the ways in which bodies carry the imprints of cultural, political, and spiritual experiences.
Source:
Ocula – Anatomy by Manuel Mathieu
Author Credit:
Ocula Editorial Team
Citations
Artsy. (2023, May 18). Rising Haitian Painter Manuel Mathieu Explores the Complex History of His Homeland. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-rising-haitian-painter-manuel-mathieu-explores-complex-history-homeland
Ocula. (n.d.). Manuel Mathieu – Artworks. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://ocula.com/artists/manuel-mathieu/artworks/
Pilar Corrias Gallery. (n.d.). Manuel Mathieu: Within the Figure. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://www.pilarcorrias.com/artists/88-manuel-mathieu/works/14856/
Saint Louis Art Museum. (2023). Manuel Mathieu: Pendulum – Film Screening and Artist Talk. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://www.slam.org/event/manuel-mathieu-pendulum/
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. (2021). Manuel Mathieu’s Self-Portrait Joins the Museum's Permanent Collection. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/news/manuel-mathieu-self-portrait/