Roberto Matta’s correspondence

Exhibition Thinking Tools, Gallery FAFA, Helsinki 2011

Excerpts from letters sent by Roberto Matta, father of Gordon Matta-Clark and Sebastian Matta, to his sons and his former wife Ann Alpert (née Clark). These excerpts tell, among other things, how Roberto missed his sons, the many ways in he had been excluded from his family, and how, despite everything, he tried to be a father to his sons.

In this work, I want to let things speak for themselves, choosing specifically the detail that tells everything and thus allows as much as possible to remain unsaid – I presented only the facts. This requires, from both the artist and viewers, the ability to accept what exists and to understand the importance of minor events.

The copyrights to the letters are held by the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), Montreal. Photographed in November 2010.

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