Tomokazu Matsuyama, Runnin' Further Deeper, 2009, mixed media on canvas, 100 x 180 in.

Tomokazu Matsuyama "In Case You're Lost"

Grounded in the artist's own upbringing, raised in both America and Japan, of both and of neither culture, In Case You're Lost unravels the story of Matsuyama's wandering interests and roots. Veins of "Americanism" and "Japanese-ness" weave into one another, resulting in paintings, sculptures and installations reflective of new hybrids that are global in scope and awareness. A recently completed large sculpture Wherever I Am will occupy the center of the gallery and the Play Mobile figure with whip, riding atop his silver horse in Frederick Remington glory, will serve as a central pivot for other paintings, sculptures and installations that look into the uncomfortable corners of cultural hybridity. Like Takashi Murakami, Matsuyama's art has bled into design, resulting in snowboards for Burton, sachels for le Sport Sac and sneakers for Nike. Many New Yorkers know his work through large scale public posters and murals. From September 10th to November 22nd, 2009, Tufts University Gallery will host Matsuyama as part of its survey exhibition Everyday Animism in Contemporary Japanese Art, along with artists like Chiho Aoshima, Mahomi Kunikata and Mr.

Matsuyama's paintings, both large and small, challenge the sanctity of Japan's most respected historical artists, primarily Ukiyo-E printmakers like Hokusai and Hiroshige, with a graphic language more akin to the most refined and precise street art. Spontaneous splashes of color conflict with precise patterning, reflecting traditional Japanese gingham textiles. Figures are "anonymized" and anglicized with disappeared noses, blond cropped hair and green eyes. The graphic structure of these compositions references more the use of color by Americans, like conceptualist Sol Lewitt, and hard edge abstract painters, than the narrative preoccupations of the erotic and mythological printmakers of Edo and Meiji Japan (also evident in the selection of imagery). The largest multi-panel painting, a fifteen foot mural, will touch upon the artist's chase after a sense of belonging, a pursuit that has mirage-like evaded him and thus inspired much of the content of his ouevre.

Exhibition Info
Date: Feb 4, 2010 - Mar 6, 2010
Place:Frey Norris
Address: 456 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94102