In 2013, the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
at Harvard University was honored to host a collection of paintings by Tomokazu
Matsuyama. As part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the Reischauer
Institute, the exhibit highlights the blending of historical richness with a
modern global consciousness.
Tomokazu Matsuyama - Layers of Unexpected Contrasts
Tomokazu Matsuyama’s paintings are unmistakably contemporary. Yet discernible within their surface are layers of history in unexpected but highly effective juxtaposition.
Shunger by Tomokazu MatsuyamaEdwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
The Japanese influence on Matsuyama’s paintings is evident in elements of Japanese folklore and the aesthetics of Japanese woodblock prints from the Tokugawa and Meiji periods, all rendered in bright colors that evoke the kabuki stage.
Runnin' Further Deep, Study 4 by Tomokazu MatsuyamaEdwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
Blending into these Japanese elements—and in the process transforming them—are various Western influences, ranging from Abstract Expressionism to late twentieth-century American street art.
In Matsuyama’s works, elements of color and perspective from earlier Japanese art forms are traceable within its contemporary themes.
Palimpsest
Historically, a palimpsest was a parchment text that was washed and written over, leaving traces of the earlier work visible under the new.
Yarkshaw by Tomokazu MatsuyamaEdwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
Metaphorically, it evokes ideas of the value and permanence of underlying substrates and the successive reinterpretation by multiple authors through time.
Questions arise as to what themes were adapted from even further within and what next revision will develop. We see layers of history as an ever-expressive surface.
Kirin Drawings by Tomokazu MatsuyamaEdwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
Palimpsest also points to parsimony and craftsmanship. Matsuyama builds up successive layers of paint, with the result that surfaces differ depending on the angle of view.
Permanent Traveler by Tomokazu MatsuyamaEdwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
His intricate works are influenced by prints and collage, but are themselves painstakingly composed by hand, each one the product of hundreds of hours of careful labor.
61013Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
The attention to detail recalls the traditions of Japanese artisanal production, displayed in the service of a global, contemporary aesthetic.
Happy Zodiac by Tomokazu MatsuyamaEdwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
As his art invokes layers of historical and cultural depth, it also reflects the breadth of his experience across two continents and the interconnectedness of the contemporary world.
Us by Tomokazu MatsuyamaEdwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
Matsuyama was born in Takayama, a picturesque and historic city in the mountains of Gifu prefecture in Japan, and was raised both there and in the southern California town of Costa Mesa.
Me, Myself and I by Tomokazu MatsuyamaEdwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
His identity was formed across two continents and within two landscapes; the traditional architecture and deep snows of Takayama, and the sand, palm trees, and youthful culture of Southern California.
Sex Buddies by Tomokazu MatsuyamaEdwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
Matsuyama received a degree in management from Sophia University in Tokyo before earning an MFA at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Today he lives and works in New York City. An embodiment of global modernity, his life has been marked by numerous cross-Pacific journeys and influences.
Text by David L. Howell and Stacie Matsumoto
