Takesada Matsutani
40x40x10 cm, vinyl adhesive & acrylic, bох
An unexpectant Green is flowing from a translucent relief to signal a growing positiveness.
In my vinyl relief work I have always used movement (the flow of the material) in dialogue with evocative forms to express constant change and time.
Takesada Matsutani (born 1937 in Osaka, Japan) is a contemporary Japanese artist renowned for his innovative experiments with materials and forms. A member of the avant-garde Gutai group from 1963 until its dissolution in 1972, Matsutani creates organic three-dimensional objects using vinyl glue, which he inflates with a fan, forming voluminous and sensuous forms reminiscent of human curves and features.
In 1966, Matsutani received a scholarship from the French government after winning first prize in the Mainichi Art competition and moved to Paris, where he began working at the famous printmaking studio Atelier 17 under Stanley William Hayter. Working with Hayter opened new avenues for artistic experimentation and gave him renewed confidence.
After the Gutai group disbanded in 1972, Matsutani transitioned to a new, radical yet consistent series of works inspired by his experience at Atelier 17. True to his Gutai roots, he sought to identify and convey the essence of vinyl glue combined with graphite, which became his signature materials. Matsutani began creating vast fields of metallic black graphite on wall-sized sheets of paper, built up through careful, individual strokes. This ritualistic method records the passage of time through his gestures, recalling his artistic beginnings in Japan but translated into a unique artistic language that is distinctly his own.
Takesada Matsutani participated in the 2017 Venice Biennale has been presented at the Museum of Modern Art in Kanagawa, the Ōtani Memorial Art Museum in Nishinomiya, the Pablo Neruda Contemporary Art Center in France, the Kraków International Print Biennial among others. In 2019, the Centre Pompidou in Paris is organising a major retrospective exhibition celebrating 60 years of his career as a visual artist.
In 1966, Matsutani received a scholarship from the French government after winning first prize in the Mainichi Art competition and moved to Paris, where he began working at the famous printmaking studio Atelier 17 under Stanley William Hayter. Working with Hayter opened new avenues for artistic experimentation and gave him renewed confidence.
After the Gutai group disbanded in 1972, Matsutani transitioned to a new, radical yet consistent series of works inspired by his experience at Atelier 17. True to his Gutai roots, he sought to identify and convey the essence of vinyl glue combined with graphite, which became his signature materials. Matsutani began creating vast fields of metallic black graphite on wall-sized sheets of paper, built up through careful, individual strokes. This ritualistic method records the passage of time through his gestures, recalling his artistic beginnings in Japan but translated into a unique artistic language that is distinctly his own.
Takesada Matsutani participated in the 2017 Venice Biennale has been presented at the Museum of Modern Art in Kanagawa, the Ōtani Memorial Art Museum in Nishinomiya, the Pablo Neruda Contemporary Art Center in France, the Kraków International Print Biennial among others. In 2019, the Centre Pompidou in Paris is organising a major retrospective exhibition celebrating 60 years of his career as a visual artist.