19/10/2026
Join us for today’s opening OFFSCREEN with a solo presentation by Swiss artist Esther Mathis
Mathis’s installation brings together three works that reflect different stages of her sustained investigation into light, perception, and the transformation of space. At the heart of the presentation is Blinds (2021/2026), a motorized slat curtain that redirects and modulates natural light within the architectural setting. Its continuous movement responds to changing conditions, transforming the atmosphere of the space as sunlight enters or disappears behind clouds. The work introduces an element of unpredictability, making light itself an active and constantly changing component of the installation. At OFFSCREEN, Blinds has been adapted to engage with the specific architecture of La Chapelle La Salpêtrière.
Shifting Structures (2025) deepens this investigation through reflective aluminum sculptures inspired by photographic filters and industrial window grids. Their mirrored surfaces reflect and distort the surrounding architecture, creating an almost fluid perception of space. Their flexible structures suggest a balance between stability and adaptability.
The video work Mirror pink (2012), one of Mathis’ early explorations of light refraction, traces the movement of the sun through a small mirror placed in the Dead Sea, making the rotation of the earth visible through a simple physical phenomenon.
Offscreen is coinciding with Art Basel Paris and is an art fair focused on installations, still and moving images, located in the historic Chapelle Saint-Louis de la Salpêtrière.