Born in 1982 in Amiens, Mathilde Lavenne began her studies with a focus on Spanish and Latin American cultures. She later earned a Master's degree from the University of Lille 3 in Fine Arts and a DNSEP from the École supérieure des beaux-arts de Tourcoing. Shortly after, she also attended the Haute École des Arts du Rhin (HEAR) in Strasbourg. She graduated from Le Fresnoy, Studio National des Arts Contemporains, in 2016, specializing in animation, cinema, video art, and digital installations. During this period, she ventured to a glacier to capture its crystallizations in the film Focus on Infinity. 

From 2016 onwards, she embarked on large-scale projects, creating the digital installation Artefact Digital Necrophony #0 to communicate with the digital beyond. In 2018/2019, she participated in a residency at the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid. That same year, she created TROPICS in Mexico, which received numerous awards and was featured at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), employing a scanner to capture the invisible. In 2021, she was in residence at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and collaborated with composer Diana Syrse for a commission from National Sawdust. 

In her work, Mathilde Lavenne aims to intertwine technological tools and a scientific approach to create a poetic dimension. Her interest in natural phenomena has grown over time, manifesting in unique forms within her practice, which is initiatory, archaeological, magnetic, and cosmic. The artist regularly collaborates with musicians and engineers to delve deeper into materiality and wandering. Additionally, she holds a keen interest in the anthropological aspects of societies and their relationships with myths. 

Mathilde Lavenne received the Talents d'Eau prize from the François Schneider Foundation in 2015 for Focus on Infinity, as well as the Golden Nica Award in Animation at the Ars Electronica Festival, the Vidéoformes Prize from the General Council of Puy de Dôme in Clermont-Ferrand, and the Best Experimental Short Film Award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in the United States. 

Mathilde Lavenne is currently in residence at the Villa Albertine in Houston, Texas. Established by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs with the support of the Ministry of Culture, this initiative redefines the concept of residency by shifting the focus from the residency location to the residency territory. Within this framework, it invites artists to explore this vast country from its presence in 10 major cities across the United States. 

Supported by a team of 80 people spread across Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Washington D.C., the Villa Albertine aims to support French cultural actors in their projects and challenges on the ground. It implements an ambitious, agile, and closely connected program with the key players in the American cultural landscape.