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esmé matthews

@esmematthews_

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followers

459

following

@eesmee
i am also in @et_al.collective
oh and also MAFA ‘26 @chelseamafa

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even YOU can hold the weight of the world in your hands!

some vertical images of my MA Fine Art Grad show at the Chelsea College of Art, july 2026.

(2/2) by @esmematthews_

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22 days ago

even YOU can hold the weight of the world in your hands!

some horizontal images of my MA Fine Art Grad show at the Chelsea College of Art, july 2026.

(1/2) taken in Chelsea College of Arts by @esmematthews_

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23 days ago

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT — Esmé Matthews

Esmé Matthews is a contemporary artist whose practice explores collective processing of ecological anxiety through sculpture and image-making. Her work conveys ambient anxiety relating to climate crisis and global conflict, expressing concern for earth systems and the influence of capitalism on resource exploitation.

Matthews often works with found objects, resituating them within post-apocalyptic, climate-doom narratives to reconsider their status as “common” objects. Her work critiques the Anthropocene as overly broad, instead focusing on the unrestrained, developmentalist aspects of capitalism as a driving force for climate disaster.
Through apocalyptic imagery and question-based text, Matthews represents the persistent questioning ingrained in our minds today. Ultimately, her work creates an urgent yet grounded concern for the present and future world, contrasted with a desire to return to the natural world.

In Under Examination, Matthews continues this exploration of ecological anxiety and how it is experienced psychologically and psychosomatically.

Work photographed:
Clogged Duct
14 x 31 x 8 cm
Bottle nipples, rusted nails, screws, discarded bottle by @esmematthews_

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a month ago

my MA grad show opens next week, july 6th, at the chelsea college of art from 6-9pm. this is what i’ve been thinking about. come see my work. i will be in room AG03.

the show will be full of incredible artists and artworks. stop by for a drink and a chat and a wander, or drop in during the week for a quiet walk around.

Opening times:

Tuesday 7 July, 12-8.30pm
Wednesday 8 July, 12-8.30pm
Thursday 9 July, 12-8.30pm
Friday 10 July, 12-8.30pm
Saturday 11 July, 10.30am-4.30pm

Last entry 30 minutes before closing time. taken in Chelsea College of Arts by @esmematthews_

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4 months ago

The Chelsea College of Art MA Fine Art degree show opens July 6th, 2026.

The show will be full of incredible artists and artworks. Come by for a drink and a chat and a wander, or stop by during the week for a quiet walk around.

Opening times:

Tuesday 7 July, 12-8.30pm
Wednesday 8 July, 12-8.30pm
Thursday 9 July, 12-8.30pm
Friday 10 July, 12-8.30pm
Saturday 11 July, 10.30am-4.30pm

Last entry 30 minutes before closing time.

graphic by @la.ur_a taken in Chelsea College of Arts by @esmematthews_

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4 months ago

Showing my work at @chelseaual as part of the MA Fine Art Degree Show.

Opening night is Monday July 6, 2026 from 6 - 9 pm.

Show is open for 6 days, from July 6th until Saturday, July 11th.

See you there. More details on @chelseamafa taken in Chelsea College of Arts by @esmematthews_

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4 months ago

Showing my work at @chelseaual as part of the MA Fine Art Degree Show.

Opening night is Monday July 6, 2026 from 6 - 9 pm.

Show is open for 6 days, from the 6th until Saturday, July 11th.

See you there. More details on @chelseamafa taken in Chelsea College of Arts by @esmematthews_

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5 months ago

Introducing MAFA 25/26 artist Esmé Matthews @esmematthews_

You can see Esmé’s work, along with the rest of MAFA, in our degree show which opens Monday 6th July and runs until Saturday 11th July

Esmé Matthews (b.2002) is an American contemporary artist whose practice explores collective processing of ecological anxiety through sculpture and image making. Her work represents and conveys ambient anxiety relating to climate crisis and global conflict. Using sculpture and installation, Esmé expresses concern for earth systems and the influence of capitalism on resource exploitation, meanwhile her image making goes further into the collective questioning inherent to our social conditioning. Her sculptural work often concerns found objects, resituating them in post-apocalyptic, climate-doom narratives to resituate them as “common” objects.

Concerned with the irreversible effects of capitalism on the natural world, Esmé’s work involves a critique of the Anthropocene as overly broad and suggests shifting blame away from the “human race”. Instead, Esmé points her focus at the unrestrained, developmentalist aspects of capitalism as the driving force for climate disaster. Her work uses apocalyptic imagery with question-based text to represent the persistent and ever-present questioning engrained in our minds today, both inherent to younger generations and as a symptom of the technology era. Ultimately, Esmé’s work aims to create an urgent yet grounded sense of concern for the present and future world, rooted in a rejection of modernization, and contrasted with a desire to return to the natural world.

Further, Esmé is a member of et al. Collective, a London-based artist collective working to build open, equitable frameworks for exhibition making and collective support for emerging artists. taken in Chelsea College of Arts by @esmematthews_

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5 months ago

photos of movement, photos of stillness taken in Morocco by @esmematthews_

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6 months ago

More photos from "Platform" at the Old Waiting Room by @et_al.collective

"Are you anxious enough?"
Vinyl print on MDF board
42 cm x 59.4 cm

"Will my anxiety help trap CO2?"
Vinyl print on MDF board
42 cm x 59.4 cm

"Worrywart!"
Vinyl print on MDF board
42 cm x 59.4 cm

thank you again to all involved in this wonderful project - all the artists who trusted us with their work, all who helped with transport and install, everyone who attended our opening night, and lastly my wonderful collaborators in @et_al.collective <3 taken in Peckham Rye railway station by @esmematthews_

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7 months ago

"Are you anxious enough?"
Vinyl print on MDF board
42 cm x 59.4 cm

"Will my anxiety help trap CO2?"
Vinyl print on MDF board
42 cm x 59.4 cm

"Worrywart!"
Vinyl print on MDF board
42 cm x 59.4 cm

Installation shots of my work in "Platform" at the the Old Waiting Room above Peckham Rye Station, hosted by @et_al.collective !

I couldn't be prouder of the show - hosting 50 artists and curating 60+ artworks was no small feat, and I am so grateful to the wonderful women I got to work with to make this show happen - @natashaxcook , @lilymayhealy and @anouk_baumgartner <3

Thank you to all the artists who trusted us with their work and everyone who turned up to our opening night - we truly couldn't be more grateful.

Thank you thank you thank you <3 more shows coming soon! taken in Peckham Rye railway station by @esmematthews_

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7 months ago

"Petrochemical Earthwork"
British clay, mineral oil (refined crude oil), tarpaulin

Film from a recent installation at Chelsea College of Art.

"Petrochemical Earthwork" is a collection of handmade vessels made of British clay sourced from Sussex, UK, a region rich in natural oil and gas. The Bowland-Hodder shale gas basin lies beneath the land, tempting human extraction and exploitation.

These vessels leak liters of mineral oil, a household derivative of petroleum (crude oil). Riddled with blisters and cracks, the hand crafted earthenware cannot contain the oil, ultimately coating the industrial-grade tarpaulin and staining both the raw and kiln-fired clay bodies. taken in Cookhouse Gallery Chelsea College of Art by @esmematthews_

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7 months ago