ARCO 2026

Chryssa, Marie Matusz, Mónica Mays, Sibylle Ruppert

For its third participation at ARCO Madrid, Blue Velvet presents a dialogue between the practices of four female artists in the program: Mónica Mays (1990, ES), Marie Matusz (1994, FR), Sibylle Ruppert (1942–2011, DE), and Chryssa (1933–2013, GR). 

The presentation draws genealogical links between Chryssa’s architectural minimalism and Matusz’s brutalist forms, as well as between Ruppert’s dark erotic surrealism and Mays’ carnal, modernist language.

Marie Matusz (b. 1994, Toulouse) lives and works in Basel. Her practice spans sculpture, sound, writing, and film, exploring materiality, memory, and narrative. Influenced by philosophy and linguistics, her works create reflective, cinematic spaces merging stillness and motion. She holds a BA from HEAD Geneva (2016) and an MA from FHNW Basel (2018). Recent solo exhibitions include Kunsthalle Basel (2025), Blue Velvet Projects, Zurich (2023), Clima, Milan (2022), Swiss Institute, Milan (2022), and Kunstmuseum Bonn (2020). Upcoming: solo show at the gallery and solo booth at Frieze with Clima (2025).

Mónica Mays (b. 1990, Madrid) lives and works between Madrid and Amsterdam. Her sculptural practice weaves autobiography, material process, and archival research. Using domestic and industrial remnants, she assembles hybrid forms that evoke control, intimacy, and labor. She studied Cultural Anthropology in New Orleans, graduated from École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg (2015), and earned an MA from the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam (2017). In 2025, she won the Arco Art Prize, and her work entered the collections of Museo Reina Sofía, CA2M, and Fondazione Sandretto. Recent exhibitions Blue Velvet , Henry Moore Institute, Pedro Cera, and CIBRIÁN. Forthcoming: Gratin NYC, Matadero Madrid, Frieze London, Pedro Cera Lisboa.

Chryssa (1933–2013) was a Greek-American artist known for monumental neon sculptures and minimalist canvases. She studied in Paris and San Francisco, and held her first solo at Betty Parsons Gallery (1961), followed by a major Guggenheim show. Represented by Leo Castelli, Pace, and Denise René, her works were shown at MoMA, the Whitney, Tate, Documenta, and the Venice Biennale. A pioneer of light art, her Newspaper Paintings (1950s) and neon works (1960s) place her at the intersection of Pop, Minimalism, and Conceptualism. Her works are held in major collections including the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens; Whitney Museum; Guggenheim; MoMA; and the Menil Collection.

Sibylle Ruppert (1942–2011) developed a radical body of work in painting, drawing, and collage across the 1960s–80s. Born during WWII in Frankfurt, she studied at Städelschule before moving to Paris. Influenced by de Sade, Lautréamont, and Bataille, her works explore the body in states of collapse, transformation, and ecstasy. Echoes of Bosch, Fuseli, Bellmer, Bacon, and Giger haunt her obsessive renderings. Her work is presented in collections such as Neue National Gallerie and Yan Du.

IFEMA Madrid
Av. del Partenón, 5, Barajas
28042 Madrid