Wander through Adrienna Matzeg’s Embroidered, Late-Night City Explorations

When Adrienna Matzeg embarked on a trip to Kyoto, Tokyo, and Seoul in July 2025, she encountered intense midsummer heat and humidity, which led her to exploring some of the cities’ nooks and crannies in the dark, when it was cooler.

Illuminated storefronts and signage characterize the artist’s late-night runs to convenience stores, markets, and other features of these hubs’ sprawling urban fabric. “In her textile embroidery work, however, the energy of the city falls away,” says a statement from Abbozzo Gallery, which presents her forthcoming solo exhibition, After Hours. “What remains are quiet scenes that left an imprint, tactile snapshots as a record of those summer nights.”

An embroidered artwork by Adrienna Matzeg of a snack called hanami dango and a fish-shaped snack against a black background — “Late Night Snack”

After Hours represents an evolution of Matzeg’s travel-related works, centered around embroidered vignettes of snacks and roadside attractions that have a snapshot-like, diaristic quality. Brightly lit facades and bold displays seem to float on the surface of black linen, with the addition of a small plate of hanami dango—the distinctive pink, white, and green rice dumpling snack on a stick—drawing us close to the artist’s experience.

After Hours runs from May 8 to 30 in Toronto. See more on the artist’s Instagram.

A detail of an embroidered artwork by Adrienna Matzeg of a snack called hanami dango against a black background — Detail of “Late Night Snack”

An embroidered artwork by Adrienna Matzeg of a Korean storefront against a black background — “Jet Lag in Seoul”

A detail of an embroidered artwork by Adrienna Matzeg of a Korean storefront against a black background — Detail of “Jet Lag in Seoul”

An embroidered artwork by Adrienna Matzeg of a blue car against a black background — “Crown Comfort”

An embroidered artwork by Adrienna Matzeg of a storefront against a black background — “Shibuya Karaoke”

A detail of an embroidered artwork by Adrienna Matzeg of a vending machine and storefront against a black background — Detail of “Shibuya Karaoke”

An embroidered artwork by Adrienna Matzeg of an illuminated gateway with a sign in Japanese against a black background — “Golden Gai”

An embroidered artwork by Adrienna Matzeg of a photobooth against a black background — “Photobooth”

An embroidered artwork by Adrienna Matzeg of an illuminated bar sign against a black background — “Side B Bar”

A detail of an embroidered artwork by Adrienna Matzeg of a 7-Eleven storefront against a black background — Detail of “7-Eleven”

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