images courtesy Joshua Liner Gallery | click to enlarge
Continuing on with our picks for this season’s Japanese art shows is Tomokazu Matsuyama, whose solo show opened on September 8 at Joshua Liner Gallery.
I love the bright color palette, visual interestingness and narrative that defines the work of Matsuyama. But, on a deeper level, what I think I’m most attracted to is the ambiguity in which the artist’s work comfortably rests within the grey area between Japanese and American pop art.
“Money Talks” (2011). FRP, taxidermy deer, wood, metal, polyurethane plastic, paint, glass eyes, plastic coins
“Toys and Candy” (2011). Acrylic and mixed media on canvas
“Mrs. Omega” (2011). Acrylic on canvas
“Cold Mountain and The Foundling” (2011). Installation view
The 35-year old Matsuyama originally fled Tokyo to pursue an art career in NYC – something he felt was far too risky in Japan’s rigid art industry. It was also an attempt to escape the fourth law of thermodynamics – the graphic designer-entropy principle – which states that ambitious, intelligent artists who can’t decide what to do decompose into magazine art directors. He attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and currently works out of a studio in Greenpoint. In addition to producing his own art, Matsuyama has also worked with the likes of NIKE and Levi’s on collaborative projects.
Source: twitter | cbcnet (JP interview)
