10 on Paper at Matèria Gallery, Rome

10 on Paper by Fabio Barile, Stefano Canto, Chen Xiaoyi, Mario Cresci, Giuseppe De Mattia, Bekhbaatar Enkhtur, Eduardo Fonseca e Silva, Maïmouna Guerresi, Sunil Gupta, Karen Knorr, Joachim Lenz, Marta Mancini, and Francisca Valador, at Matèria Gallery, Rome, 13/02/2025 – 17/04/2025.

Exhibition Text:

Matèria Gallery is proud to present 10 on Paper, the first in a series of exhibitions celebrating the gallery’s tenth anniversary. Bringing together works by Fabio Barile, Stefano Canto, Chen Xiaoyi, Mario Cresci, Giuseppe De Mattia, Bekhbaatar Enkhtur, Eduardo Fonseca e Silva, Maïmouna Guerresi, Sunil Gupta, Karen Knorr, Joachim Lenz, Marta Mancini, and Francisca Valador, the exhibition marks a milestone in Matèria’s evolution as a platform for contemporary artistic research and production.

Paper serves as the exhibition’s unifying thread, forming a dialogue between unseen and key works that reflect the gallery’s past, present, and future. The show juxtaposes long-term artistic collaborations—such as Mario Cresci’s Misurazioni series and Stefano Canto’s past exhibitions at Matèria—with new commissions, including Francisca Valador’s latest works and Bekhbaatar Enkhtur’s most recent explorations in materiality.

The exhibition also revisits significant projects, such as Oh Mother, why did you let me be an Artist? by Giuseppe De Mattia and The Principles of Political Economy from Karen Knorr’s Capital series, which engage with themes of class, labor, and the role of the artist within economic systems. Sunil Gupta’s Lovers: 10 Years On offers a deeply personal reflection on time and intimacy, while Fabio Barile’s A certain amount of skeletons. Attempt to create an atlas of the animal forms critically examines the intersections of time and materiality.

As Matèria celebrates a decade of fostering artistic exchange, 10 on Paper embodies the gallery’s commitment to long-term collaboration, independence, and engagement with its artists. Alongside this exhibition, Matèria will also present a solo show by Francisca Valador and a group exhibition dedicated to the gallery’s historical ties with photography, featuring figures such as Karen Knorr and Sunil Gupta.

Curated in collaboration with Christiane Monarchi, 10 on Paper is accompanied by texts from curators Giuliana Benassi, Enrico Camprini, and Vasco Forconi, reflecting on Matèria’s role in shaping contemporary artistic discourse.