PRINTCatalogue Note:
KINETIC INSTALLATION
YUTAKA MATSUDA
Yutaka Matsuda was born in Osaka, Japan in 1942. In 1966, he received a prize for his excellent work in the 10th Shell Art Award. In the following year, he became an important member of the Gutai group. Founded in 1954 by Japanese artist Jiro Yoshihara in Osaka, Gutai is a post-war art movement that can be seen as a counteraction in response to the over-conservative Japanese art scene at the time. Its artistic goal of never imitating others quickly attracted many artists to participate in the group. As a member of Gutai’s youngest generation, Matsuda expressed art through a diversity of forms. Through his drawings and sculptures of mechanic devices, his kinetic artworks became particularly notable among the later Gutai members.
In the sixty-plus years since the appearance of Gutai, moving paintings had never been seen in Japan befor e the works of Matsuda. Gutai’s founder Yoshihara once praised Matsuda’s work as an “interesting” and “kinetic form of art.” Matsuda’s works are not limited to two-dimensional works; he makes use of pure geometrical shapes and recombined them under multiple artistic frameworks, creating a sense of familiarity and humor in any contexts. Matsuda’s artworks often reflect the playful mood he is in; the rhythm of life continues in every moment in the mechanic parts provided with kinetic energy. The artist’s kinetic art style is also employed in this particular work.
The vivid and intense colors of the palette contribute to the unique, new-generation Gutai features of this work. The drawing is presented in simple colors and shapes. Objects move around in seemingly monotonous and graceful ways, and the viewer is subconsciously intrigued by those motions, vibrations, and colors. On the back of the simple drawing is a precise mechanic construction in constant operation, behind which a functioning motor is concealed together with complex circuits and wires. The work inherits the traditional Japanese element of a black compass. The handmade border parts show subtle distortions and are paired with a black pointer. Rotating at moderate speed, the two elements become mutually dependent amidst the flow of time. When in agreement with the rotations in the space, parts can function in harmony within the same disorderly picture, even if the timing of motions and propulsions fail to coincide. Matsuda’s works in this period are referred to as kinetic art of the Gutai group and it is this type of works that secured Matsuda’s status in the new trends of the Japanese art scene.
With a desire to explore new methods and materials, an emphasis on the close relationship between creative media and the body, as well as its pursuit of originality, the Gutai group is considered the most internationally acclaimed avant-garde art form in the context of Japanese art. The crux of Gutai artistic experiments, as summarized in the Gutai art manifesto by Yoshihara, states that “When matter remains intact and exposes its characteristics, it starts telling a story and even cries out. ”
YUTAKA MATSUDA
Yutaka Matsuda was born in Osaka, Japan in 1942. In 1966, he received a prize for his excellent work in the 10th Shell Art Award. In the following year, he became an important member of the Gutai group. Founded in 1954 by Japanese artist Jiro Yoshihara in Osaka, Gutai is a post-war art movement that can be seen as a counteraction in response to the over-conservative Japanese art scene at the time. Its artistic goal of never imitating others quickly attracted many artists to participate in the group. As a member of Gutai’s youngest generation, Matsuda expressed art through a diversity of forms. Through his drawings and sculptures of mechanic devices, his kinetic artworks became particularly notable among the later Gutai members.
In the sixty-plus years since the appearance of Gutai, moving paintings had never been seen in Japan befor e the works of Matsuda. Gutai’s founder Yoshihara once praised Matsuda’s work as an “interesting” and “kinetic form of art.” Matsuda’s works are not limited to two-dimensional works; he makes use of pure geometrical shapes and recombined them under multiple artistic frameworks, creating a sense of familiarity and humor in any contexts. Matsuda’s artworks often reflect the playful mood he is in; the rhythm of life continues in every moment in the mechanic parts provided with kinetic energy. The artist’s kinetic art style is also employed in this particular work.
The vivid and intense colors of the palette contribute to the unique, new-generation Gutai features of this work. The drawing is presented in simple colors and shapes. Objects move around in seemingly monotonous and graceful ways, and the viewer is subconsciously intrigued by those motions, vibrations, and colors. On the back of the simple drawing is a precise mechanic construction in constant operation, behind which a functioning motor is concealed together with complex circuits and wires. The work inherits the traditional Japanese element of a black compass. The handmade border parts show subtle distortions and are paired with a black pointer. Rotating at moderate speed, the two elements become mutually dependent amidst the flow of time. When in agreement with the rotations in the space, parts can function in harmony within the same disorderly picture, even if the timing of motions and propulsions fail to coincide. Matsuda’s works in this period are referred to as kinetic art of the Gutai group and it is this type of works that secured Matsuda’s status in the new trends of the Japanese art scene.
With a desire to explore new methods and materials, an emphasis on the close relationship between creative media and the body, as well as its pursuit of originality, the Gutai group is considered the most internationally acclaimed avant-garde art form in the context of Japanese art. The crux of Gutai artistic experiments, as summarized in the Gutai art manifesto by Yoshihara, states that “When matter remains intact and exposes its characteristics, it starts telling a story and even cries out. ”