Briand works in various installation forms with computers, electronic music, robots, video technology and sculpture to explore systems of simulation, play and perception. His use of new technologies requires active participation and engagement, playing with the viewer's point of view and questioning the reality of his/her perceptions.

After holding a large-scale solo exhibition in two parts at Palais de Tokyo, Paris, and Museum of Contemporary Art, Lyon, in 2004, he moved on to experience-type installations with a project named Ubïq: A Mental Odyssey. This ambitious time-space project was mounted for the first time in 2006 at the Los Angeles REDCAT, and later at MIT List Visual Arts Center, the TATE Modern Turbine Hall, Art Basel Unlimited and, finally, at TEA on the Spanish island of Tenerife in 2009.

For seven years Mathieu worked on a project called Et In Libertalia Ego, which was based on the idea of the pirate's utopia of Libertalia. The first volume of the project was shown in La Maison Rouge in Paris in 2015, while the second, Et In Libertalia Ego Vol. II was presented at MONA, in Hobart in 2016.

Briand has participated in international group and solo exhibitions in major museums such as Centre Pompidou-Paris/France, Bloomberg Space-London/UK, Jumex Founation-Mexico city/Mexico, Walker Art Center-Minneapolis/USA, Sharjah Art Foundation-Sharjah/UAE, ICC-Tokyo/Japan, Moca-Tapei/Taiwan, SiteSantafe-Santafe/USA and Macba- Barcelone/Spain.

His work has been presented in Australia at CCP-Melbourne, ACMI-Melbourne, Murray White Room-Melbourne, Spring-Melbourne/Sydney, Arndt-Melbourne, Carriageworks- Sydney, MONA-Tasmania.

He received First prize in the biennale of Istanbul in 2001.

He has created permanent installations including Eternal Garden, Back to Zhong Guo, Fools Move Mountains, Nanling, China (2005), and SYS*017.ReR*06/PiG-EqN\15*25, for the 21st Century Contemporary Art Museum, Kanazawa, Japan (2004).