Japanese artist debuts decade-in-the-making photo exhibition in Tartu
Japanese artist Narihiro Matsumoto's newly opened solo exhibition in Tartu debuts a photo series which is the culmination of a decade-long creative journey.
The exhibition, "40–42," opened at Tartu's MIGA Kunstiruum gallery today, Wednesday.
Like all of Matsumoto's works, the series has been created in real spaces, using physical objects and actual weather and lighting conditions. For the artist, the most important thing is not whether viewers believe what they see.
"What matters to me is that I have seen the objects and landscapes captured in the image with my own eyes. In an age when photographs can be manipulated so easily, people often become suspicious. For me, it does not matter whether they believe it or not. The act of creating the work itself is a gift," Matsumoto explained.
Matsumoto first became known to Estonian audiences with his 2023 solo exhibition "35–39," at the Haki gallery, also in Tartu. This was followed by a two-month residency at the Voronja gallery in Varnja, on the shores of Lake Peipus. It was there that he found one of the hidden starting points for the new series. Walking across the frozen lake and the endless white landscape left an unforgettable impression on the artist.
"While I had never seen a landscape like that before, it somehow felt familiar," he revealed. The artist said he hopes viewers will also sense the influence of Lake Peipus in the new photographic exhibition, even though it is expressed through emotion rather than direct visual motifs.
"40–42" was completed over a much longer period, however: 10 years, and as such it brings an important chapter of his artistic practice to a close.
"A point stretches into a line, and standing on that line is a space filled with silence. Nearby, there is something rough and violent. Moving through orange and magenta, this series arrives at blue. I am very happy to present the final part of this series, which I began ten years ago," he went on.
Art does not always have to demand explanations from its audience. "I would be happy if people looked at my works the same way they look at the sea or a lake. Or the way they sit quietly on a park bench, without feeling the need to think too much."
Narihiro Matsumoto's exhibition "40–42" will be on display at the MIGA Kunstiruum micro-gallery in Tartu until October 25.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Karmen Rebane
