Miwa Matreyek's Glorious Visions: A Live Cinema Performance

With her signature live cinema experiences, animator and performer Miwa Matreyek steps behind a projection screen to become a shadow silhouette—a nameless, wordless figure moving through kaleidoscopic video worlds of her own making. Integrating the fantastical visuals of her animation with the visceral immediacy of a live performer, Matreyek's works incorporate surreal and poetic narratives often related to conflict among humanity, nature, and the climate crisis. Her shadow figure is never fixed — at times shifting between individual and Gaia-like consciousness, highlighting Earth’s fiery beginnings through moments of evolution, or traversing the fragile boundary between self, society, and nature. Emotionally resonant meditations and phantasmagoric journeys that embody the full complexity of human agency, Matreyek’s pieces carry the audience through shared moments of recognition and co-presence that only a live cinematic experience can produce.

Matreyek’s ability to create a compelling space of transformation and illusion has captivated audiences worldwide for almost 20 years. Performances have included Lincoln Center, TED, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, NYU-Abu Dhabi, and many other theatres, festivals, universities, film programs, and presenters seeking interdisciplinary or environmentally conscious engagement. Matreyek has been honored with, among others, the Princess Grace Award, Creative Capital Award, and CTG’s Sherwood Award.

Fiona Nagle, Cadenza Artists,Info@CadenzaArtists.com