BIOGRAPHY
Lena Mattsson
Born 1966 in Kungshamn
Bohuslän, Sweden
Lives and works in Malmö, Sweden
”What is beyond the surface? What is it that we actually see and what is only an interpretation of what we think we see based on our social and cultural references and personal experience? There is always something unnerving about Lena Mattsson’s art. You think you know what you have seen but nevertheless you feel you have witnessed and experienced something else entirely. She is a master in playing with our perceptions and senses. She takes us to a place and introduces us to what often seems as a simple situation but wich turns out to be something quite extraordinary. This duality and tension invest her works with a very exceptional quality. ”
Bera Nordal
Director, The Nordic Watercolour Museum, Skärhamn, Sweden
Lena Mattsson is primarily a video and performance artist though she started her career with painting. There are numerous references in her work to art history and to the world of films. Mattsson has shown her films and video installations in a number of exhibitions around the world.
Selected solo exhibitions
Moderna Museet Malmö, Sweden
Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, Sweden
Malmö Art Museum, Sweden
Nordic Watercolour Museum, Skärhamn, Sweden
Konsthallen, Bohusläns Museum, Uddevalla, Sweden
Nässjö Konsthall, Sweden
Molekyl Gallery, Malmö, Sweden
Skissernas Museum - Museum of Artistic Process and Public Art,
Birgit Rausings sal, Lund, Sweden
The Art Gallery at Bohusläns Museum, Uddevalla, Sweden
ESLÖVS KONSTHALL #18 Lena Mattsson C/O Bian, Eslöv, Sweden
Lena Mattsson - Mirror of the Soul
22.11 - 22.12. 2024
Galleri Rostrum, Malmö, Sweden
Selected film screenings, and group exhibitions
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark
Museum of Contemporary Art, Santiago, Chile
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Holland
Museum for Contemporary Art, Roskilde, Denmark
European Media Art Festival Osnabrück, Germany
Transmission Gallery Glasgow, Scotland
National Art Gallery Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Metropolitan Art Museum, Pusan, South Korea
7th International Festival of New Film Split, Croatia
SPARK VIDEO: BEACON New York, USA
Portobello Film Festival, London, England
Galerie EIGEN+ART, Germany
Göteborgs Konsthall, Göteborg Film Festival, Göteborg, Sweden
Moderna Museet, Malmö and Stockholm, Sweden
Malmö Konsthall, Sweden
Triennal of Expanded Media, Belgrade, Serbia
Island of Light, Smögen, Sweden
Mumbai Entertainment International Film Festival
Munich New Wave Short Film Festival
Tokyo International Short Film Festival
Film Festival The SYDNEY WORLD FESTIVAL
New York Tri-State International Film Festival
THE MAGIC OF CINEMA Film Festival, Barcelona, Spain
Purple Sky Internationell Film Festival, Hamburg, Germany
Hollywood Best Indie Film Award
Humro Cinema Film Fest, Pokhara, Nepal
Movie Play International Film Festival!, London
United Kingdom, Award Winner
Bestlov Film Festival, Award Winner
Mars International Film Festival
NYC Independent Film Festival, Finalist
Magic Silver Screen Film Festival 2024, Award Winner
4th Dimension Independent Film Festival 2024, Award Winner
Beyond the Curve International Film Festival 2024, Award Winner
Black & White Film Festival 2024, Award Winner
Kraken International Film Festival's Winter 2024 season, Nominee
Zeal International Film Festival 2024, Finalist
Stingray International Film Festival 2024, Finalist
Elegant International Film Festival 2024, Award Winner
Best Shorts Competition Award 2024, Award Winner
Lena Mattsson (Sweden), Not Without Gloves
Award of Recognition: Experimental
Los Angeles Filmmakers Fest 2024, Award Winner, female director
FilmNest International Film Festival 2024, Award Winner
Hollywood Blvd Film Festival 2924, Award Winner
Cult Movies International Film Festival 2024, Award Winner
San Francisco Independent Filmmaker's Contest 2024, Award Winner
Luminary Independent Film Fiesta 2024, Finalist
Script Symphony Award 2024, Award Winner
Chalachitra International Film Awards 2024, Finalist
Vesuvius International Film Awards 2024, Award Winner
Blackboard International Film Festival 2024, Award Winner
International Gold Awards 2024, Award Winner
New York Movie Awards 2024, Award Winner
Hollywood Gold Awards 2024, Award Winner
London Movie Awards 2024, Award Winner
Milan Gold Awards 2024, Award Winner
Maverick International Film Festival 2024, Award Winner
Sun Dace in Paris Film Awards 2024, Award Winner
Madrid International Movie Awards 2024, Award Winner
WINNER Indie Producer Of The Year 2024, Award Winner
WINNER Luxembourg International Film Festival 2024, Award Winner
WINNER The Dark Side of the Cinema Film Fest 2024, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Award Winner
WINNER SWEDISH CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS 2024, Award Winner
WINNER THINK DIFFERENT Film Festival 2024, Nice – Côte d’Azur, France,
The Flight Deck Film Festival 2024, Award Winner, The Vino Theater Brooklyn, New York
WINNER CITY OF GOD FILM FESTIVAL in Rio de Janeiro 2024, Brazil
WINNER – Diario Italiano Film Festival 2024, Florence, Award Winner
WINNER New York Film Festival Best Indie Selection 2024, Award Winner
WINNER ROUTE 66 FILM FEST 2024, Award Winner
Pageant Film Festival 2024, Gangtok, Sikkim, India, Award Winner
Winner Japan Film Critics Awards 2024, Award Winner
WINNER FANTASY FESTIVAL in Santiago de Chile 2024, Award Winner
WINNER MONACO FILM MEETING 2024, Award Winner
WILD FILMMAKER on Variety! 81st Venice International Film Festival
NOT WITHOUT GLOVES
by LENA MATTSSON
Best Experimental Film.
WINNER Special Event at 81st Venice International Film Festival, Venice, Italy, Award Winner
WINNER Best Cinematic Project of the Year 2024, Award Winner
Island of Light - Smögen, Sweden 2024
tiff - Toronto International Film Festival! - Special Event 2024
Winner Special Event in Toronto, Award Winner
Winner TELLURIDE NEW STORIES FILM FESTIVAL 2024
WINNER Shanghai Indie International Film Festival 2024
WINNER Spain CinemART Film Festival 2024
WINNER ATLANTA International Film Festival 2024
WINNER EUROPEAN Film Critics Awards 2024
WINNER Chicago International Film Festival
Best Indie Selection 2024
WINNER ICEBERG Cinema & Literature Awards 2024, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
WINNER AUSTRALIAN FILM CRITICS AWARDS 2024
WINNER Poland International Film Festival 2024
WINNER San Francisco Film Lab Awards 2024
WINNERS WILD FILMMAKERS AWARDS, Special INDIE Event "MIA,
International Audiovisual Market 2024, Rome."
WINNER British Film Critics Awards 2024
WINNER Lisbon Story Film Festival 2024
WINNER WILD FILMMAKER AWARDS 2024 – Special Event at the AMERICAN FILM MARKET, Las Vegas
WINNER Berkeley International Film Festival 2024, California
WINNER ITALIAN GRAND PRIX 2024
WINNER Los Angeles Arthouse Film Critics Awards 2024
WINNER Irish Film Critics Awards 2024
WINNER Brazil International Indie Film Festival 2024
WINNER BEST SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR 2024
WINNER – MASTROIANNI 100 – FILM AWARDS, Cannes, France 2024
WINNER MIAMI FILM AWARDS 2024
Special Event in Cannes 2025 Qualifying
Cinema Panora Malmö, LiAn Film Festival 2024
WINNER SoHo – New York Co-production Film Festival 2024
WINNER WASHINGTON, DC International Film Awards 2024
WINNER Charlie Chaplin Young Filmmaker Awards 2024, Paris
WINNER La Habana International Film Awards 2024, Cuba
WINNER Greek Film Critics Awards 2024
Cannes 2025 Qualified
WINNER Hawai’i Film Awards 2024
WINNER Tribeca Christmas Film Awards 2024
WINNER Hollywood Indie Film Critics Awards 2024
WINNER Best Character Film Awards 2024
WINNER AEFF, America Europe Film Festival, Zurich, Switzerland 2025
WINNER Oxford Film Network Awards 2025, UK
WINNER Bellagio New Cinema From The World Film Festival – Como, Italy
WINNER OSAKA FILM AWARDS 2025
WINNER NEON On Contemporary Cinema 2025
WINNER INDIE GOLDEN GLOBE 2025
Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome, Madrid, London, Cannes, Venice
WINNER OKLAHOMA New Directors/New Films 2025
WINNER Scandinavian Film Critics Awards – Helsinki, Finland 2025
WINNER Siena International Film Showcase, Italy 2025
WINNER Shakespeare Film Awards 2025 in Verona
WINNER LONDON MOVIE AWARDS 2025
WINNER HOLLYWOOD GOLD AWARDS 2025
WINNER Independent Special Event at Sundance 2025
WINNER Lights in the Shadow Film Awards 2025
WINNER WILD FILMMAKER Awards – Special Event at the 75th Berlin
International Film Festival 2025
WILD FILMMAKER Worldwide Film Promotion "Not Without Gloves" and "The Rorschach Test" by Lena Mattsson, European Film Market in Berlin.
WINNER Canadian International Indie Film Critics Awards 2025
WILD FILMMAKER Awards – Special Event at the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam, Netherlands 2025.
WINNER Best Director’s Cut Of The Year – San Diego, California 2025
GOLDENLIST – The Heart of the Indie Film Industry 2025, Bologna, Italy
WINNER INDIE OSCAR AWARDS 2025, LA, NY, Rome, Cannes, London
"Not Without Gloves"
BEST EUROPEAN SHORT FILM, BEST EXPERIMENTAL DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR & BEST SPIRITUAL FILM.
"The Rorschach Test"
BEST ARTHOUSE DIRECTOR & BEST ORIGINAL IDEA.
WINNER ON THE ROADS OF CINEMA FILM FEST 2025, Newport, Rhode Island
WINNER Cannes Screenwriter Awards 2025
WINNER INDIAN FILM CRITICS AWARDS 2025
WINNER AMDb Arthouse Movie Database Critics’ Choice Awards 2025
LA, NY, ROME, CANNES, DUBAI.
WINNER TAORMINA Film Meeting Awards 2025, Taormina, Italy
WINNER International Indie Cinematheque Awards LA – NY – Paris – London – Rome – Dubai.
WINNER Alice Film Festival – Berlin
WINNER Film Emmy Awards NY - LA - Rome - London - Paris - Atlanta - Venice - Stockholm 2025
WINNER MADRID Indie Academy of Motion Picture Arts – Special Event 2025
WINNER Cinematic Tony Awards, Broadway, NY 2025
WINNER International Indie Film Registry Awards 2025
WINNER NEW WAVE Cinema Festival – Hollywood/Paris 2025
WINNER Indie Hall of Fame Awards 2025
WINNER Santa Monica, LA Indie Critics’ Choice Awards 2025
WINNER AMERICA SCREENPLAY AWARDS 2025
4-th International video-art festival on outdoor videoscreens
Festival places: Moscow, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaliningrad, Perm,
Rostov-on-Don, Riazan', Samara, Sochi, Ufa, Yekaterinburg [Russia] among other exhibitions and film festivals.
Selected curatorial projects
2020 GENERATION - En spegling av 1990-talets konstscen Borås Museum of Modern Art, Sweden, curator with Ola Åstrand
2020 Kultur under Covid-19, Borås Museum of Modern Art, Sweden, curator with Ola Åstrand
2004 MALM 1, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, Sweden, curator with Magnus Wallin, Axel Lieber, Mads Gamdrup, Georg Oddner and Kirsten Ortwed
1998 Body Act, International Performance Weekend, Malmö Konsthall,
Ocean, Chokladfabriken, Malmö, Sweden, curator with Anna Bring
and Måns Holst-Ekström
1997 Tourist, Konsthallen, Bohusläns Museum, Uddevalla, Sweden
1998–1996 Galleri Rostrum, Malmö, Sweden
1996 Hårsalongen–Nordic Art Project, Malmö, Sweden, curator with Anna Bring
Selected bibliography
Konstrecension av Carolina Söderholm i Sydsvenskan Kultur
Undrar du om ögat är själens spegel – eller om en fransk AI kan rita hus?
30 november 2024
Carolina Söderholm guidar till den bästa konsten i Malmö och Lund just nu.
“My Dream and I” (EXCLUSIVE) Interview with Lena Mattsson - Wild Filmmaker
WILD FILMMAKER on Variety! 81st Venice International Film Festival
REVIEWS Maverick International Film Festival 2024
Not Without Gloves – by Lena Mattsson
EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS Newyorker Indie Critic’s Choice Awards 2024 JUNE 7 Not Without Gloves by Lena Mattsson
Truth is in the eye of the beholder ★★★★★ Critical Analysis ★★★★★ LOS ANGELES / NEW YORK CITY MACOPROJECT FILM FESTIVAL 2024
HOLLYWOOD GOLD AWARDS Not Without Gloves - Review
"Not without gloves" ★★★★★ Critical Analysis ★★★★★
LOS ANGELES / NEW YORK CITY MACOPROJECT FILM FESTIVAL 2024
When Hades bursts with blooms Directed & Written by Lena Mattsson ★★★★★ Critical Analysis, ★★★★★
LOS ANGELES / NEW YORK CITY MACOPROJECT FILM FESTIVAL 2024
LONDON DIRECTOR AWARDS - Interview with Lena Mattsson 2024.
Les Nouveaux Riches Magazine - Lena Mattsson Interview by KAJSA RHODIN, 2023.
Lena Mattsson – The Window Opens to the World, KERBER VERLAG, 2020.
Jubileumsantologin “Filmform 1950-2020”, 2020.
GENERATION - En spegling av 1990-talets konstscen, Borås Museum of Modern Art, 2020.
The Artist’s Institute, Carolee’s Magazine, published by The Artist’s Institute and Koenig Books, 2016.
Archive of Visions and Actions, Contemporary Art from Sweden, Imago Mundi, Luciano Benetton Collection, 2015.
Water Art, Nordic Watercolour Museum, 2015.
Lena Mattsson – In The Eye of the Beholder, Moderna Museet Malmö, 2014.
Lena Mattsson – Beyond the Surface, Nordic Watercolour Museum, 2004.
Lena Mattsson – A Small Fairytale, Malmö Konsthall, 2001.
World Wide Video Festival, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 1999.
For Eyes and Ears, 2nd International Performance Festival Odense, Denmark, 1999.
Body Act – An International Performance Weekend, catalog 1–2, and a video documentation from 1999.
European Media Art Festival, Osnabrück, Germany, 1998.
The Edstrand Foundation Art Prize, Rooseum Center for Contemporary Art, 1998.
For Eyes and Ears, 1st International Performance Festival Odense, Denmark,
1997.
New Art from Denmark and Scania, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 1997.
From 2006 - 2015 Lena Mattsson recieved a yearly working-grant from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee - Konstnärsnämnden in Sweden.