A free, immersive installation in the U.S. Bank Gallery

March 13, 2025

Minneapolis—The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is pleased to present “lacuna (for Gustaf Sobin),” a new mixed-media installation by Minnesota-based artist Charles Matson Lume. The exhibition, part of the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program (MAEP), will be on view in Mia’s U.S. Bank Gallery from March 22 to June 29, 2025. Admission is free.

The word “lacuna” means a gap or empty space and is derived from the Latin words for lake or lagoon. In this site-specific installation, Matson Lume transforms a 2,500-square-foot gallery into an immersive environment using common materials—including plastic sheeting, hologram tape, Mylar sleeping bags, sequined fabric, and paper-mâché snowy owls—to explore themes of light, poetry, beauty, and mortality.

Dedicated to poet Gustaf Sobin (1935–2005), a mentor to the artist, “lacuna (for Gustaf Sobin)” invites viewers to reflect on the interplay of presence and absence, the ephemeral nature of light, and the poetic resonance of space. These themes were often explored in Sobin’s work. This exhibition requires low lighting to fully experience the delicate balance between illumination and materiality.

“Charles Matson Lume’s work transforms ordinary materials into poetic meditations on light and space,” said Nicole E. Soukup, Supervisor of the MAEP. “In ‘lacuna (for Gustaf Sobin),’ he invites us to immerse ourselves in the present moment, encouraging contemplation on reconnecting in today’s hyper-connected virtual world.”

“Gustaf Sobin was a remarkably kind and generous mentor who helped me discover that art is a verb—not a noun and the loveliest sounds arise out of the deepest silences,” said Charles Matson Lume.

Matson Lume is a visual artist whose work engages with the relationship between light and matter. His installations have been exhibited at institutions including the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Dublin, Ireland), Babel Kunst (Trondheim, Norway), Kemijärvi Art Gallery (Kemijärvi, Finland), and Hunter College (New York City). He has received fellowships from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board, and has participated in artist residencies in Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Ireland, and the United States. Matson Lume holds an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The exhibition is presented as part of the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025. MAEP is a unique, artist-run program dedicated to supporting and exhibiting work by Minnesota-based artists.

Support for this exhibition is provided by RBC Wealth Management.

Exhibition Details

• Exhibition Title: “lacuna (for Gustaf Sobin)“
• Dates: March 22–June 19, 2025
• Location: U.S. Bank Gallery, Mia
• Cost: Free

For more information on “lacuna (for Gustaf Sobin)” and other upcoming exhibitions, visit www.artsmia.org.

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About the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program (MAEP)

The Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program (MAEP) is an artist-led program at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Founded in 1975 as a yearlong partnership between the museum and regional artists, it has become a unique, ongoing relationship lasting 50 years. Today, the MAEP presents exhibitions in the 2,500-square-foot U.S. Bank Gallery. Support for MAEP is provided by RBC Wealth Management.

About the Minneapolis Institute of Art

Home to more than 100,000 works of art representing 7,000 years of world history, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) inspires wonder, spurs creativity, and nourishes the imagination. With extraordinary exhibitions and one of the finest art collections in the country—from all corners of the globe, from ancient to contemporary—Mia links the past to the present, enables global conversations, and offers an exceptional setting for inspiration. Learn more about Mia in our latest Impact Report.

General admission to Mia is always free, but some special exhibitions charge a nominal fee.

For more information, call + 1 612 870 3000 or visit www.artsmia.org. Everyone is welcome. Always.