The National Art Center, Tokyo
Public Relations E-mail:pr@nact.jp
Summary
We are pleased to present two important contemporary Japanese artists, painter MATSUMOTO Yoko and photographer NOGUCHI Rika, in an exhibition entitled "The Light." MATSUMOTO Yoko (b. 1936) began painting abstract pictures around 1960. She discovered acrylic paint and became aware of new possibilities in painting at the end of the 1960s while living in the United States. She went on to make effective use of this medium, perfecting an original style of abstract painting based on a pink color scheme, in the 1980s and the 1990s. In recent years, she has moved into new territory with a series of abstract oil paintings in green. NOGUCHI Rika (b. 1971) started doing photography in the early 1990s and quickly gained attention for her highly accomplished series, including Fujiyama (started in 1997). Making a brilliant choice of themes and creating a unique sense of distance in her pictures, she explored the essence of the medium of photography. As she continues to work, her art is being praised throughout the world. MATSUMOTO Yoko and NOGUCHI Rika work in different media, use different modes of expression, and belong to different generations, but they both use light as one of the important themes in their art. Light, of course, has been an important issue in the art of all countries since ancient times. These two artists have taken on the extremely difficult challenge of representing light directly. Their achievement in contemporary art will be presented in a pair of individual exhibitions, focusing on recent works.
| Dates |
August 19 (Wednesday) - October 19 (Monday), 2009
Closed on Tuesdays (excep September 22), and September 24 |
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| Museum hours |
10:00 ? 18:00
(Friday 10:00 ? 20:00) |
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| Venue |
The National Art Center, Tokyo
7-22-2 Roppongi Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
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| Organizers | The National Art Center, Tokyo | ||||||||
| Enquiries | TEL: 03-5777-8600 (Hello Dial) | ||||||||
| Admission |
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Exhibition Highlights
- 1.Two Solo Exhibitions
- "The Light: MATSUMOTO Yoko / NOGUCHI Rika" is an exhibition made up of two solo shows that can be enjoyed independently. For MATSUMOTO Yoko, this is the first major exhibition since a two-person exhibition held at The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura four years ago in 2005. For NOGUCHI Rika, it is the largest exhibition since a solo show, "I Dreamt of flying: Noguchi Rika" presented at Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, five years ago in 2004. MATSUMOTO's exhibition contains 50 important works from the 1980s to the present, focusing on large paintings. NOGUCHI 's includes 100 works, providing an overview of her major series during the last ten years. For each of the artists, this will be the largest exhibition of their careers. Visitors can enjoy it in the expansive space of the 2nd floor of The National Art Center, Tokyo.
- 2.First Meeting
- MATSUMOTO and NOGUCHI met each other for the first time on the occasion of this exhibition. Both are popular and accomplished artists with substantial careers, but they had never appeared together before. What will emerge from this encounter between artists from quite different spheres and areas of activity? This will be a valuable opportunity to witness their first meeting.
- 3.The Theme of Light
- "Let there be light." As exemplified by these words at the beginning of Genesis in the Old Testament, light has been important as a universal concept, phenomenon, and artistic theme since ancient times. The treatment of light in some form or another has long been a fundamental element of artistic expression. There is more to the work of MATSUMOTO and NOGUCHI than dealing with light in a contemporary way, and we cannot gain a full understanding of the theme of light in contemporary art through their work alone. However, they have expressed themselves with great strength and individuality in the two fields of painting and photography. We believe that a coherent presentation of their approach will provide an opportunity to think in new ways about the ancient and universal theme of light.
Artists
- MATSUMOTO Yoko
- Born in Tokyo in 1936. Graduated from the Oil Painting Department at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Began making abstract paintings around 1960. First encountered Liquitex acrylic paints in 1967 while residing in New York. After returning to Japan in 1970, began experimenting with acrylic in earnest. Established a unique style of abstract painting, using mostly pink, in the 1980s and 1990s. Her pictures make effective use of the properties of acrylic paint and raw cotton canvas, creating the appearance of mysterious clouds pervaded with light, and have earned high praise. Matsumoto turned to oil painting again in recent years, and the green paintings begun in 2005 have drawn attention for their innovative spatial qualities. Major exhibitions include a solo exhibition at the National Museum of Art, Osaka (1991), and a two-person exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura (2005). Lives and works in Tokyo.
- NOGUCHI Rika
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Born in Saitama prefecture in 1971. After graduating in photography from the College of Art, Nihon University, entered the Graduate School of Art at the same school but left before obtaining a degree. Began making photographic art in 1992. Quickly recognized for such highly accomplished series as Fujiyama (started in 1997).
The images in her photographs are taken from reality, but her brilliant choice of theme and method and the sense of distance that emerges from the subject matter due to the uniquely flat light and color create a transcendental quality. Noguchi's exploration of the structure and essence of the medium of photography has earned her an excellent international reputation. Major solo exhibitions include "MIMOCA'S EYE VOL.1: NOGUCHI RIKA a feeling of something happening" Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (2001), "I Dreamt of flying:Noguchi Rika" Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (2004), "Somebodies," Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, England (2004). Group exhibitions include "Life on Mars, 55th Carnegie International," Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (2008). Lives and works in Berlin.
Related Programs
Artist Talk
- Artist talk(Artist: NOGUCHI Rika)
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August 22 (Saturday), 14:00 -16:00
3rd floor Auditorium, The National Art Center, Tokyo
Capacity: 250 (You will be seated in order of arrival.)
※No reservation required. Admission is free but requires a ticket to the exhibition. - Artist Talk(Artist: MATSUMOTO Yoko)
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Augusts 30 (Sunday), 14:00 - 16:00
3rd floor Auditorium, The National Art Center, Tokyo
Capacity: 250 (You will be seated in order of arrival.)
※No reservation required. Admission is free but requires a ticket to the exhibition.
Artist Workshop
- "Challenge! Abstract Painting: Interacting Hearts and Minds and Overflowing Colors,"
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Artist: MATSUMOTO Yoko
September 2 (Saturday), 13:00 - 16:00
Limited to 20 participants.
※Further details will become available via the Center's homepage.
