Collages by Artist Naoko Matsubara in Bloor Street Window
Today, Thursday, December 6, 2007, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) unveils its newest addition to its Bloor Street Plaza. Art for Bloor Street: Three Collages by Naoko Matsubara features three colourful large-scale collages created specifically for the ROM’s Bloor Street window case by Japanese-Canadian artist Naoko Matsubara. Emerald Summer (2006), the first to be displayed in the window case on the exterior of the Philosophers’ Walk Building, is visible from the outside only. Two accompanying works – Gateway to the East (2006) and Setting Sail (2006) - as well as three preparatory designs are on display inside in the adjacent Prince Takamado Gallery of Japan. Each work will be featured separately in the Bloor Street window until May 2008.
“We are pleased to share these vibrant artworks by Ms. Matsubara with the public on the ROM’s Bloor Street Plaza,” said William Thorsell, ROM Director and CEO. “Situated on the west side of the plaza near the Bennett Music Court, these impressive works are a wonderful addition to this new public space.”
In 2005, the ROM commissioned two large works from Naoko Matsubara for the Museum's Bloor Street window case. The artist generously donated a third work, Emerald Summer (2006). The three works (each 195 cm high by 95 cm wide) will be rotated at regular intervals into the outside window. This is the first commissioned artwork to be displayed on the Museum’s Bloor Street Plaza.
About the artist:
An extraordinary Japanese printmaker, Naoko Matsubara has lived in Canada since 1972. Her earlier work is in the tradition of Japanese and European expressionist woodcut artists, but since the 1980s she has created more and more abstract works in vivid colours and bold compositions. The artist's work is in many museum collections, and she has had numerous exhibitions all over the world. In 1998, the artist made a magnificent gift of 177 woodcuts to the ROM, covering her entire oeuvre. Recent solo exhibitions include Tree Spirit (ROM, 2003) and Thirty-Five Years in Canada: Recent Work (Prince Takamado Gallery, Embassy of Canada in Tokyo, 2007).