ART&CULTURE / 2022.11.22

"SEIJI MATSUMOTO EXHIBITION 'Fun!'" Interview with Sage Matsumoto (1/3)

Are you happy? Are you blurring? Are you surprised? Seiji Matsumoto, an artist known for his "Mice ANDY" series with a slightly strange expression. At the exhibition "Fun!", which is currently being held at SPACE14 in Shinsaibashi PARCO and SkiiMa Gallery, not only simple and pop paintings, but also the first video work on a figure of about 1m. Mr. Matsumoto says, "This is the culmination of the present time."

Interview & Text

Yusuke Nakamura

Photo

Yuji Iwai

―First of all, could you tell us your enthusiasm for the exhibition "Fun!"

Matsumoto: I'm from Osaka, but since this is my first solo exhibition in Osaka, do you say that my passion is amazing for me (laughs). You're excited.

―What is this “all” described in the flyer?

Matsumoto: Not only paintings, but graphics, illustrations, etc. It is a "all" in the sense of displaying everything you have done so far. 41 items on the 14th floor, and the 4th floor displays past works.

―Is it a culmination so far?

Matsumoto: It's still a short history of activities, but it's the culmination at the moment.

―『Fun!』 At the exhibition, you can enjoy Matsumoto's pop world from various angles. Inside, the first attempt, video work.

Matsumoto: The video is based on the experience of producing animations in corporate TV commercials. Also, this time there are a lot of goods, but it was a designer of children's clothes in the past. This solo exhibition is based on my experience so far.

―This series "Mouse ANDY" was first announced in 2017, which is also the key visual of the 2nd anniversary event of Shinsaibashi PARCO. Could you tell me how this was born? Mr. Matsumoto was born when he lived in New York.

Matsumoto: That's right. I went to New York without anything, so at first I was looking for a place to exhibit. At one point, I will be able to show it in a small space in Grand Central. What should I paint there? When I was thinking, I found a mouse on the subway.

―The sympathy?

Matsumoto: I'm here. There may be many people who think that rats are bad, but at that time I was doing my best quietly in New York. That's why I was able to sympathize with the mouse running on the subway tracks.

Key visuals of “Shinsaibashi PARCO 2nd Anniversary Fair” by Mr. Matsumoto

―Where is the name Andy?

Matsumoto: This is the name of the dog that my roommate had in New York. It's a dog that was always beside me when I was painting.

―You can see moving ANDY in the video work.

Matsumoto: How fast does ANDY work in animation? How do you run? What's the blinking? I thought a lot about it. I think characters can show their character by movement.

―I'm sure.

Matsumoto: Until now, my face had only been drawn diagonally from the front, so I feel that this time the blurry part of the character ANDY has solidified. To breathe life.

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