On the occasion of his first solo exhibition in Italy, Matthias Odin presents at FRENCH PLACE a new body of works, developed during his residency in Milan and born from the discovery of a weapons manufacturing plant abandoned since the late 1980s, a moment when global conflicts seemed destined for lasting de-escalation. The new placement of these objects suspends their original function, transforming them into minimal sculptures poised between abstraction and memory. In Odin’s conception, industrial archaeology enters into dialogue with the history of the city and with the Bergsonian idea of memory as stratification.

Matthias Odin, ⁠“Electtromecanica Orobica (1), 2026, found technical drawings, found photograph, gloss paint, glass framed, ph. Francesco Paleari, courtesy the artist & FRENCH PLACE

In his works, the sedimentation of time is evidenced by the traces of wear on the materials. In this way, the pieces, which act like modern ruins from a distant past, shift from the sphere of function to that of contemplation. Like skeletons stripped of their contents, these bodies confront the viewer with the representation of an absence, hinting at the exhaustion of conflict.

Matthias Odin, ⁠“Electtromecanica Orobica (2)”, 2026, found technical drawings, found photograph, gloss paint, glass framed, ph. Francesco Paleari, courtesy the artist & FRENCH PLACE

Odin’s practice is grounded in research, collection, and direct engagement with places and materials and its theoretical foundations lie in urban exploration, Situationist psychogeography, and the promenadology of the Stalker group. The works on display are the result of an operation of détournement, of diversion, of constructing a new semantic sphere. The artist uses objects and images to provoke a short circuit of meaning in informational terms. In this way, Odin removes the veil of anonymity and innocence from the object, confronting the viewer with the eternal return of history. Détournement operates on two levels: exposing the ideological nature of an image and refunctionalizing it in a political and critical direction.

Matthias Odin, ⁠“IM650074 G”, 2026, found objects, found technical drawing, glass, found label, led string + plinth, ph. Francesco Paleari, courtesy the artist & FRENCH PLACE

CIMA, an acronym for “Cartellino Identificazione Materiale Anonimo” (Anonymous Material Identification Tag), is the title of the exhibition and outlines its conceptual trajectory. The questioning of permanence and the investigation of memory are embedded within a museological display. As a space dedicated to historical, archaeological, and anthropological inquiry, the museum acts as a device for preserving against oblivion, a container of objects that testify to both proximity to and distance from the past. Glass, according to the artist, contributes to generate a sense of detachment in the viewer, while light conveys the idea of a residual, latent energy that situates the object in an intermediate state between artifact and relic.

Matthias Odin, ⁠“Omba G185”, 2026, found objects, found technical drawings, G9 bulb, ph. Francesco Paleari, courtesy the artist & FRENCH PLACE

The works of Odin, such as Omba G185 (2026), respond to the definition of the near ready-made. The artist carries out a further conceptual step beyond the aesthetic of the found object, which represents the meeting point between industrial and artistic production. The crates and the maps are not merely the residue of a productive process; what characterizes them is their connection to local memory, of the city of Milan, and to a global memory marked by conflict. As Beuys stated that “the silence of Duchamp is overrated”, denouncing the tautological and productivist stance inherent in the readymade, which excludes engagement and confrontation with history, Odin intervenes on the object, recontextualizing it within a climate of renewed global tension. CASSA N.1 (2026), IM650074 G (2026), Luce Reparto (2026), and Elettromeccanica Orobica (2026) assert themselves as mummified and musealized forms of an industry of domination and control, which is composed not only of violence, but also of action, bureaucracy, infrastructure, and logistics.

Matthias Odin, ⁠“Luce Reparto”, 2026, found technical drawings, found objects, found copper electrical conductor, plexiglass, steel cable, string led, ph. Francesco Paleari, courtesy the artist & FRENCH PLACE

The exhibition display constitutes a fundamental link between past history and present urgency. The artist’s flânerie is not aimless, and the resulting psychogeography is not an end in itself, but rather a tool for investigating the crisis of historical, geographical, and cultural memory. The object thus exists in a precarious balance between its being an image and its condition as a functional, material entity.

Info:
Matthias Odin. Cima
12.03.26 – 19.04.26
Via Carlo Goldoni 64, Milano
ORARI DI APERTURA:
Lunedì-sabato 15-19
www.frenchplace.art

Lorenzo Rebosio

After graduating in Economics and Management of Cultural Heritage, he earned a master’s degree in Art History. Writing is a way to engage directly with artists’ research, gaining in-depth knowledge of them, and bringing out the layers of their language. The work of art responds to an intimate, shared and complex code that requires constant exploration and dialogue.