Minneapolis Review

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) will showcase a new installation by artist Charles Matson Lume titled "lacuna (for Gustaf Sobin)." The exhibition is part of the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program (MAEP) and will be displayed in Mia's U.S. Bank Gallery from March 22 to June 29, 2025, with free admission.

"Lacuna," meaning a gap or empty space, forms the foundation of this mixed-media installation. It transforms a 2,500-square-foot gallery into an immersive environment using materials such as plastic sheeting, hologram tape, Mylar sleeping bags, sequined fabric, and paper-mâché snowy owls. These elements explore themes of light, poetry, beauty, and mortality.

Dedicated to poet Gustaf Sobin (1935–2005), who was a mentor to Matson Lume, the installation encourages reflection on presence and absence and the transient nature of light. "Charles Matson Lume’s work transforms ordinary materials into poetic meditations on light and space," said Nicole E. Soukup, Supervisor of the MAEP.

Matson Lume expressed his appreciation for Sobin: “Gustaf Sobin was a remarkably kind and generous mentor who helped me discover that art is a verb—not a noun and the loveliest sounds arise out of the deepest silences.”

A visual artist based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Matson Lume has exhibited at various international institutions including the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin and Hunter College in New York City. He has been awarded fellowships from several foundations including Pollock-Krasner Foundation.

The exhibition is supported by RBC Wealth Management as part of MAEP's celebration of its 50th anniversary. For more details about this exhibition and others at Mia visit www.artsmia.org.