MATRIA

Step inside MATRIA, a monumental new installation by Barcelona-based collective Penique Productions, transforming the Royal Exhibition Building into an immersive, pink-hued sanctuary. Enveloping the vast interior in a translucent, monochromatic inflatable, MATRIA reimagines the historic space as a living, breathing organism – a warm, womb-like environment pulsing with sound.

Known for ephemeral, site-specific interventions, Penique activates architecture by inflating mammoth balloons that absorb the contours of their host spaces, rendering the familiar abstract and uncanny. For MATRIA, their signature approach becomes more intimate – an homage to ideas of refuge, memory, and care. The work draws on the installation’s namesake which has its origins in “mother” and “motherland”, a quiet invocation of belonging.

Created in partnership with Museums Victoria, MATRIA also plays host to a series of experiences including breathwork sessions by The Breath Haus and a curated night-time performance program.
This is not just an installation. It is a gentle act of transformation, offering visitors a space to pause, reflect, and simply be.

You can also experience the installation as part of the below workshops and performances:

• rROXYMORE x MATRIA
• Alex Zhang Hungtai x MATRIA
• Amber McCartney x Shapednoise x MATRIA
• The Breath Haus x MATRIA