Quartz Inversion
Quartz Inversion

nao matsunaga

london, england

 
Nao Matsunaga in his studio, London, England

Nao Matsunaga in his studio, London, England

Nao Matsunaga, Rototo, 2019. Glazed ceramic, 60 cm H x 70 cm W x 55 cm L

Nao Matsunaga, Rototo, 2019. Glazed ceramic, 60 cm H x 70 cm W x 55 cm L

Nao Matsunaga, Human Landscape 2, 2019. Porcelain, glaze, underglaze pencil, 50 cm H x 30 cm W x 7cm D

Nao Matsunaga, Human Landscape 2, 2019. Porcelain, glaze, underglaze pencil, 50 cm H x 30 cm W x 7cm D

I am not sure how my work is changing or how it will change in the near future. I never know, as it is always changing, or so I hope. The main thing that is different in my life now is that my 9 year-old son is at home, and my wife Natsko and I are taking turns home-schooling him. It was quite difficult at first, but now we are getting used to it. I mostly work alone, so social distancing has not really had an effect on my studio practice. This lockdown period doesn’t feel like an enforced “time-out” as such; if anything I have less time than before for my practice, what with home schooling and other household commitments—though it is very nice to spend extended time with my family, and I am sure future works will come out of these feelings.

I have spent more time drawing and painting at home. I have had phases in my life doing drawings and paintings, but this time it was a conscious decision. I have started to draw stones and rocks I collected from my travels— we have lots, as I am sure many people do!

In terms of discoveries made during the lockdown, I’ve noticed that London is/can be a quiet place. My son and I have found many species of birds flying and singing near our house. I never knew there were so many different kinds in such an urban area. It is lovely.

As to what I, as an artist, can articulate about what the world is going through: I don’t know. I am interested to see where we go from here.

Nao Matsunaga, All is cool, 2019. Porcelain with underglaze pencil 59 cm H x 29 x 27cm

Nao Matsunaga, All is cool, 2019. Porcelain with underglaze pencil 59 cm H x 29 x 27cm

during the lockdown, nao matsunaga has been drawing stones from his own collection, home-schooling his nine-year-old son in collaboration with his wife natsuko, and enjoying the unfamiliar pleasures of vibrant london birdsong.

Nao Matsunaga, Stone with Color, 2020. Pen and pencil on paper

Nao Matsunaga, Stone with Color, 2020. Pen and pencil on paper

Nao Matsunaga, Stone 3, 2020. Pen and pencil on paper

Nao Matsunaga, Stone 3, 2020. Pen and pencil on paper

Nao Matsunaga Stone 1, 2020. Pen and pencil on paper.

Nao Matsunaga Stone 1, 2020. Pen and pencil on paper.

Nao Matsunaga, Stone 2, 2020. Pen and pencil on paper

Nao Matsunaga, Stone 2, 2020. Pen and pencil on paper

BIO:

Nao Matsunaga was born in Japan in 1980 and trained at the University of Brighton before completing an MA in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art. He makes strange and elusive sculpture and works on paper, often inspired by ceremonial objects and spaces. He works with dualities and contradictions that include the use of clay with wood, juxtapositions of matte surface and runs of glassy glaze, and a mix of organic and geometric elements. His practice speaks of enduring human concerns and personal and collective experience.

Nao has exhibited widely, and completed a six-month ceramics residency at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2014, where he is included in the public collection. Other residencies include Cove Park, Scotland in 2010, Arizona State University Art Museum in 2013, and Cranbrook Academy of Art, Detroit in 2014. He was a finalist in the Jerwood Makers Open in 2012 and won the British Ceramics Biennial Award in 2013.

 
 

rate of affection:

Nao Matsunaga nominates James Rigler