If you’re up for an art visit in London these upcoming days, you won’t want to miss the latest from Haitian-born artist Manuel Mathieu. His new solo show, “Bury Your Masters”, is currently at the respected gallery Pilar Corrias until November 1. Mathieu brings a quietly powerful momentum to the space, inviting viewers to enter a world where abstraction becomes a means of reckoning with history, identity, and the legacies we inherit.
Manuel Mathieu, In the heart of revolution 1, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Pilar Corrias, London.
From the moment you step inside, you’re confronted with works that feel both intimate and expansive. The paintings and sculptural pieces are layered, think acrylics, chalk, tape, fabric, even metal wire, and they feel as though they’re resisting easy interpretation. In one sense, you’re looking at shapes and textures; in another, it’s as though Mathieu is excavating the past, the familial, the political, the spiritual, and asking what happens when those “masters” (the traditions, structures, systems) are laid to rest or questioned. The tone is serious, yes, but not heavy-handed; there’s an energy of “what now?” rather than “which guilt?”.
Manuel Mathieu, Pensée rouge, 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Pilar Corrias, London.
What stands out is how the exhibition uses abstraction not as a retreat from meaning, but as a vehicle for it. According to the gallery, Mathieu “harnesses the power of abstraction to create an installation that shifts from two to three dimensions, unfolding as an immersive ceremony of confronting truths.” That sense of ceremony is underscored by the materials: dust, wire, tape, chalk; these tactile elements evoke fragility, rupture, and repair. Walking around, you’re aware of surfaces, edges, layers; the act of peeling back becomes part of the experience.
Whether you’re already familiar with Manuel Mathieu’s work or coming fresh, “Bury Your Masters” offers an invitation to stay with discomfort, with history, with questions about power and legacy. It doesn’t promise easy answers, but it offers space to feel something and maybe walk away a bit more unsettled, in the best way.
More information HERE.
