- Title
- Side Effects Hope
- Year
- 2023
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Size
- 180×82.3×107.3 cm
By taking the age-old trope of equestrian statues and reinterpreting it through the global language of contemporary art, the artist seeks to liberate it from the propagandistic connotations it historically carried. In his signature style, the artist carefully draws on past references, which can be seen in the statue’s composition and decorative patterns applied to its details. Using polished stainless steel with a mirror-like surface that reflects the environment at various angles, the work expresses a contemporary multiplicity that transcends a specific culture or social class.
- Author
- Matsuyama Tomokazu
- Birthplace
- Japan
- Birth
- 1976-
Born in Gifu Prefecture. After graduating from Sophia University’s Faculty of Economics, Matsuyama moved to the United States in 2002 and graduated with honors from the Pratt Institute in New York. Starting his career painting murals in New York, he now focuses primarily on painting, while also creating sculptures and installations. His works reflect his experience of growing up in Japan and the United States, and the shifting of modern society in the information age. He often deconstructs and fuses symbolic motifs from both Eastern and Western cultures, which are usually interpreted within their respective cultural contexts.
Photo: Fumihiko Sugino
