born 1986 in Solothurn, Switzerland
lives and works in Leipzig, Germany

STUDIES

2013 - 2015 HfBK Dresden, Meisterschüler, Prof. Lutz Dammbeck
2008 - 2013 University of Fine Arts [HfBK] Dresden
Prof., Christian Sery, Prof. Ulrike Grossarth

SCHOLARSHIPS, PRIZES

2025 Artist-in-Residence, ISCP, New York City (Cultural Foundation of Saxony)
2024 Artist-in-Residence, Batangas, Goethe-Institut Philippines
2019 Artist-in-Residence, European Capital of Culture, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2016 Nomination for the Prize of the Darmstadt Secession, Darmstadt
2015 Artist-in-Residence, La Ira de Dios, Buenos Aires, Argentina

COLLECTIONS

Art Collection of the Bundestag
Art Collection Neubrandenburg
Art Collection E.SUN Bank, Taiwan
Museum of Fine Arts Leipzig
Drentsmuseum, Assen, Netherlands
Städtische Galerie Offenburg
Art Collection of the Volksbank, Offenburg
Art foundation pro arte, Biberach
Collection of the Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden
Municipal collection Bautzen

PUBLIC SPACE

2024 Forever Senna, Interlagos, São Paulo (w. Mundano, Sebastian Vettel)
2019 ANOHA - Children‘s World of the Jewish Museum Berlin

EXHIBITIONS

2025
Nachtleben, Museum Sinclair-Haus, Bad Homburg
Microcosm, Drents Museum, Assen, Netherlands
Refugium, Kunstverein Jena, (solo)
Bird Walk, West 87th Street Park & Garden, Goethe-Institut NYC, New York (solo)
hello², Yiri Arts, Yakarta, Indonesia
Antennenvögel, Museum in Kulturspeicher, Würzburg (solo)

2024
City Dwellers,Yiri Arts, Taipei, Taiwan, (solo)
Tönende Tiere, Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart, (w. Dominik Eulberg)
Early Warning System, Academy of Fine Arts, Warsaw, Poland
Chirping, House of Arts Ústí n. Labem, Czech Republic
Carnival of Animals, EXOgallery, Stuttgart, (solo)
If Trees Could Talk Biennale, Ibaan, Philippines (w. Veronica Garcia)
Lost and Found, Stern-Wywiol Galerie, Hamburg, (w. Thomas Putze)
Getier, BC - pro arte Foundation, Biberach, (solo)

2023
Wolkenkuckucksheim, Museum im Kleihues-Bau, Kornwestheim, (solo)
Mimese, Galerie Tammen, Berlin, (solo)
Gezwitscher, Kunsthalle Wilhelmshaven
Wunderkammer, Kunstverein Bayreuth, (solo)
The Other Animals, Lake Como Design Festival, Italy

2022
Renature, bauverein Darmstadt, (w. Tatiana Urban)
To the End, Galerie Tammen, Berlin
Maria Sibylla Merian, Stadtturm Gmünd, Austria
Bienenumsummt, Galerie Margareta Friesen, Dresden (solo)
Köpfe, Galerie Marianne Heller, Heidelberg
Industrial obbys, Kunstverein March, March

2021
Matthias Garff, Städtische Galerie Offenburg, (solo)
Eden, Galerie Tammen, Berlin, (w. Lars Theuerkauff)
Garden Birds, Museum of Fine Arts Leipzig, (solo)
Vogelbad, Orangerie Schwetzingen, (solo)
Menagerie, Galerie Tobias Schrade, Ulm, (solo)
Habitat, Kunstsammlung Neubrandenburg, (solo)
Wild Thing, Stern-Wywiol Galerie, Hamburg, (solo)
PLAY, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart

2020
Happy?, Altes Pumpwerk Neckarau, Mannheim, (w. Dietmar Brixy)
Garten Eden, Galerie am Dom, Wetzlar
Insektenfenster, Kunstraum Praline, Leipzig, (solo)
Conference of the animals, Rochsburg Castle, Lunzenau, (solo)
Facetten, Städtische Galerie Ostfildern
Stillleben, Galerie Tobias Schrade, Ulm

2019
Maritza Nature Trail, Plovdiv 2019 Foundation, Bulgaria, (solo)
Eläin, Art Center Väinölä, Varkaus, Finland
Animal - Symbol of the Gods, Sculpture Summer Pirna
Spa & Beauty, Galerie Hartwich, Sellin on Rügen
Garff + Imsand, Galerie heissingsart, Lübeck, (w. Luc Imsand)
Summer exhibition, Galerie kunstück, Oldenburg
Garff + Pelka, Galerie Tammen, Berlin, (w. Florian Pelka)

2018
Conference of the Animals, Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau, Dresden, (solo)
Jenseits von Beeten, Begehungen, Chemnitz

2017
Tête-à-Tête, Galerie Margareta Friesen, Dresden, (w. Tim von Veh)
Garff + Taschowsky, Galerie Tobias Schrade, Ulm, (w. Marc Taschowsky)
Stempelbilder, Josef Filipp Galerie, Leipzig, (solo)

2016
Kleine Insektenschau, Josef Filipp Galerie, Leipzig
Staub, Galerie bipolar, Leipzig, (w. Carsten Goering)

PUBLICATIONS

2024 Gezwitscher, Kunsthalle Wilhelmshaven
2023 Tönende Tiere, with Dominik Eulberg, Eichborn Verlag
2022 Connect Leipzig #2, MdbK Leipzig, Hirmer Verlag
2021 Matthias Garff - Menagerie, Verlag amarto
2021 Eden, Garff + Theuerkauff, Galerie Tammen