LAST NIGHT XXIV (TÊTE DE MÉDUSE) | SOSHIRO MATSUBARA

Last Night XXIV (Tête de Méduse) is a ceramic sculpture, created by the artist Soshiro Matsubara, that reveals excellent quality of installation as well as dialogue with the exhibition space. Designing his works, Matsubara draws from an intricate corpus of historical and mythological figures, which he transports into his artworks, enriching them with references and multiple possibilities of interpretation.

Starting from the simple forms of everyday objects, as in the case of Last Night which can be simply described as a wall lamp in its functional appearance, Matsubara touches decoration and design in a crescendo that culminates in artwork.

Last Night XXIV (Tête de Méduse) has the features of a chandelier but, instead of candles, light bulbs are placed as a result of technological progress transform it into a modern piece, yet retaining the antique, sumptuous, and somewhat faded appearance of certain historic dwellings. The head of Medusa, that generates and supports it, leads to an imaginary place that could be oneiric, surreal, or gothic. The contrast between the functionality, the object’s ability to ‘illuminate’, the delicate and precious material employed – ceramic – and the neutral and gentle tones, softens the gestures and aggressive features associated with the figure of Medusa.

The wall, which serves both as support and environment, plays a significant and central role in this installation. The intense orange hue blends very well with the sculpture’s details, providing a warm tone that almost camouflages, slowing down the sensation and the alert reaction that a close look would stimulates, creating a sort of chromatic deception.

Last Night XXIV (Tête de Méduse) is an artwork that attracts and, at the same time, repels: the light captures the viewers’ attention, calling them to explore details, but as they approach, it unveils itself, when the danger is no longer avoidable. It is an object that seduces and fascinates, just like the mythological character from which it takes its name, petrifying the viewer and making impossible to look away.

Soshiro Matsubara
Last Night XXIV (Tête de Méduse), 2021
Glazed ceramic, light bulb, 40 × 29 × 12 cm
Installation view Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique and etc. / Étude, Fern Residency, Bruxelles, 2021
© Courtesy of the artist, Fern, Brussels and Croy Nielsen, Vienna

22/07/2023