is a contemporary

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

artist. She is known for her

surreal Surreal may refer to: *Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art * "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki * ''Surreal'' (album), an album by Man Raze *Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor ...

self-portraits, mostly done as

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

s. Her work has been praised for its jarring visual impact as it defies normal representations of

childhood A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

being cute and innocent.

Early life and education

Matsui was born in 1984 in Okayama, Japan where she grew up. As a student, she studied oil painting and went on to win the Shell Art Award in 2004. Her education also led her to study abroad in Finland as an exchange student at the University of Art & Design Helsinki in 2006. She graduated in 2008 with a B.F.A. from

Tama Art University or is a private art university located in Tokyo, Japan. It is known as one of the top art schools in Japan. History The forerunner of Tamabi was Tama Imperial Art School (多摩帝国美術学校, Tama Teikoku Bijutsu Gakkō) founded in 1935. ...

in Tokyo, and completed her M.A. in 2010 at the

Tokyo University of the Arts or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, scul ...

. She continued her education in 2012 by fulfilling an artist residency at the Kunstlerhaus Bethanien in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, having been sponsored as a fellow for Japan's

Agency of Cultural Affairs The is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It was set up in 1968 to promote Japanese arts and culture. The agency's budget for FY 2018 rose to ¥107.7 billion. Overview The ag ...

Overseas Training Program.

Career

Before she even graduated from Tama Art University, Matsui debuted as a rising artist in 2004 at the age of 20. That year, Matsui's painting "I Love Ebi-Chili" won the gold medal for

Takashi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts as well as co ae ...

's Geisai art fair in Tokyo. One of the jury members there, Hervé Chandès (who is also the director of the Foundation Cartier in Paris), took note of her paintings and brought her on to be displayed in a group show ("J'en rêve") in summer 2005. Her pieces at the show were bought and are currently in a collection at the Foundation Cartier. Since then, her paintings have also been purchased by the Pigozzi Collection (New York), the Takahashi Collection (Tokyo), and the Ohara Museum (Okayama). In addition to being shown in exhibits across Japan and Europe, her paintings are popular among private art collectors, such as the French billionaire Francois Pinault and the fashion designer Maurizio Galante. Most recently, her paintings were featured in a solo show exhibition ("Planet of the Face") in 2016 at the Kirishima Open-Air Museum. She is currently based in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

Art Style

Matsui most commonly produces oil painting portraits of herself, distorting her features in surreal ways that end up disturbing or absurd. Although she began her career through Murakami's Geisei art fair, her paintings are elaborately composed and contain depth that distinguishes her work from the

Superflat Superflat is a postmodern art movement, founded by the artist Takashi Murakami, which is influenced by manga and anime. However, superflat doesn't have an explicit definition because Takashi Murakami does not want to limit the movement, but rather ...

art style associated with Murakami and

Kaikai Kiki is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts as well as co aes ...

artists. Matsui intentionally chose not to join the Kaikai Kiki (Murakami's art production and artist management company), choosing to prioritize art school education instead. As a young artist, her self-portraits are often used as an exploration in understanding the unknown world. Her paintings play upon popular themes of Japanese

kawaii ''Kawaii'' is the culture of cuteness in Japan. It can refer to items, humans and non-humans that are charming, vulnerable, shy and childlike.Kerr, Hui-Ying (23 November 2016)"What is kawaii – and why did the world fall for the ‘cult of c ...

culture, as well as incorporating symbols of childhood nostalgia such as toys or lullabies to represent the anxiety of young adults growing up. Axelotls are a reoccurring motif in her work meant to highlight both the fantastical and otherworldly quality of her paintings.

Exhibitions

Matsui's work has been featured in multiple solo shows since her debut in 2004: * 2007 ** ''My Cosmo'', YAMAMOTO GENDAI, Tokyo ** ''Cycle: Kawaii! Japan Today'',

Fundació Joan Miró The Fundació Joan Miró ( ; "Joan Miró Foundation, Centre of Studies of Contemporary Art") is a museum of modern art honoring Joan Miró located on the hill called Montjuïc in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). History The idea for the foundation ...

, Barcelona, Spain * 2010 ** ''One-Touch Time Machine!'', YAMAMOTO GENDAI, Tokyo * 2012 ** ''Sunrise Erina'', Ohara Museum of Art, Okayama ** ''Wabi Sabi Utopia'', YAMAMOTO GENDAI, Tokyo * 2013 ** ''Road Sweet Road'', Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Germany * 2015 ** ''Manga Mind Serenade'' – non-stop painting, YAMAMOTO GENDAI, Tokyo * 2016 ** ''Planet of the Faces'', Kirishima Open-Air Museum, Kagoshima

References

External links