Jennifer Mathews

Jennifer Mathews was born in 1994 on Kaurna Country in Tarntanya/Adelaide, South Australia, where she continues to live and work today. She is an artist who works primarily with sculpture and installation, exploring the semiotic and symbolic power of architectural and material forms.

Mathews’ practice examines how structures—whether functional, industrial, or purely symbolic—carry histories and exert influence. Her recent projects investigate human dominion over the non‑human world and the architectural impulse to measure, control, or contain. Drawing on language, found imagery, and the inherent absurdity of built space, she works with materials such as metal, resin, and light, combining traditional and industrial techniques including welding, casting, and moulding.

Although these works reference systems designed to contain animals, Mathews ultimately points to the forces that shape human behaviour. Her installations foreground the subtle modes of control embedded within gallery environments—from exhibition design to cultural mediation and security—inviting viewers to reflect on how space directs, manages, and conditions movement.