The singer, songwriter and visual artist Jewel is set to take a new step in her creative career with the international debut of her visual art practice in Venice, coinciding with the 2026 Biennale. The exhibition, entitled Matriclysm: An Archaeology of Connections Lost, will run from 7 May to 22 November in the historic Salone Verde and represents the largest presentation to date by the American artist in the field of visual arts.
Developed in collaboration with the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and curated by Joe Thompson, the exhibition will bring together paintings, sculptures, tapestries, installations and sound pieces created specifically for this project. The exhibition explores themes related to motherhood, collective memory, female power and the relationship between humanity and nature, creating an immersive experience with a strong sensory dimension.
Among the most notable works is Seven Sisters, an installation comprising seven blown-glass orbs inspired by the Pleiades constellation, accompanied by a soundscape created using astronomical data compiled by NASA and the University of California, Berkeley. The piece combines art, science and sound experimentation in an experience designed to subtly alter the viewer’s sensory perception.
The exhibition will also feature new series of paintings with a realistic aesthetic and surrealist undertones, monumental sculptures and digital works that reflect on female identity and the fragility of contemporary bonds. Another highlight is Heart of the Ocean, a large-scale sculpture that transforms real-time ocean data into visual and sound compositions, developed in collaboration with researchers from NASA, NOAA and various US universities.
The project culminates in First Mother, a monumental sculpture created in collaboration with the Congolese artist Patrick Bongoy. Installed outside the exhibition space, the work will evolve over the course of the exhibition months under the influence of the elements, reinforcing the reflection on creation, transformation and collective memory.
With this project, Jewel consolidates an artistic facet she first began to explore publicly in 2024 with The Portal: An Art Experience by Jewel, presented in Arkansas. Her arrival in Venice confirms the growing interest within the international art scene in an interdisciplinary practice that connects contemporary art, technology, music and environmental awareness through a deeply personal sensibility.
