Berlin, Germany, 1968
Lives and works in Cologne, Germany.

Matti Braun’s work investigates the unexpected, often little known effects of cross-cultural dynamics, making visible patterns of artistic migrations and cultural misrecognitions. The artist’s exhibitions have often been organized around a specific example of such appropriation, taking for instance an elaborate web of interdisciplinary associations spun around the Indian physicist Vikran Sarabhai that include Mahatma Gandhi, Le Corbusier, the development of the Indian space program, the Ulm School of Design and Lynda Benglis as point of departure for displays that included textile works, objects, photographs and large-scale installations. Matti Braun’s work is characterized by a constant negotiation between concrete references and general allusions, between poetic ephemerality and an uncanny sense of visceral immediacy.

Braun approaches his work scientifically, while still appreciating the beauty of spontaneity and chance. His meticulous technical processes give rise to unique combinations of composition and color, unveiling the potential inherent in different materials and surfaces. Glass and silk have captivated him and become recurring elements in his work, partly due to their ability to reflect and absorb light, as well as their universal significance throughout cultures and eras.