My work is grounded in taxidermy, but adding a contemporary, minimal edge to an old tradition. My focus is to capture important and emotional human moments or behaviours, and to translate them into visual - and often metaphorical - representations.
The outcome is a visual rendering of minimalism, movement, and balance. I contextualize the taxidermy in structures made of concrete, steel or plexiglass, to make it transcend weight and gravity.
There is something truly extraordinary in working with taxidermy. The organic nature of the birds creates a primordial and instinctive bond between the pieces and the viewer, taking them from a primarily aesthetic reaction to an emotional one. I believe that on the other side of this specific medium lies beauty, timelessness, and inspiration to the viewers.
My work has been exhibited in Paris at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (the first taxidermy pieces to be exhibited there), at L’Eclaireur and at the Galerie Da-End. I have worked on collaborations with Dior, Cartier, AF Vandevorst, and been featured in numerous publications.
My work is also commissioned and sold to private collectors in Europe, the US and elsewhere. I was trained by master taxidermist George Jamieson in Scotland.
I live and work in Paris.
"The artist is a poet, and, like his work, he conceals a delicacy visible to those who perceive the world with intensity" - L’Eclaireur
"Mathieu Miljavac shows installations that are both dreamlike, minimalist and offbeat. A way to transfigure the everyday.” - Beaux-Arts Magazine
“Le mister oiseaux de l’art contemporain”. - Télérama