Lisa Matthys is a contemporary artist whose work is deeply rooted in social issues. She explores the role of art as a means for reflection, intervention, and transformation, moving fluidly between disciplines such as visual art, installation, participatory practices, and socially engaged projects. 

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Her strong social commitment translates into video work, photography, and installations in which children often take centre stage, addressing diverse political and social contexts. Central to this is her exploration of play, particularly the free, unregulated play of children, which she approaches through public interaction and intervention that blurs the boundaries between contemplation and action. For Matthys, play is both a fundamentally human and inherently subversive activity, escaping the logic of productivity, efficiency, and profit. Operating outside commodified time, where every action is expected to yield results, it becomes an act of resistance: a space for imagination, slowness, collectivity, and spontaneity in a world increasingly driven by control, economy, and speed.

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By foregrounding the dynamicas between play and socio-political contexts, Lisa Matthys’ work critically challenges dominant narratives of productivity and control, positioning free play as a crucial site for social critique, agency, and alternative modes of coexistence.