2012.1.5, Takesada Matsutani, Work-63-A.L. (The Night), 1963

Inspired by the magnified shapes found in blood samples, this work, with its organic, bulbous-looking forms adhered

to canvas, is indicative of the artist’s early experimentation as a member of the Gutai Art Association. To produce these

amorphic resin shapes, Matsutani used vinyl glue to create bulbous forms that he allowed to partially harden. The artist would then penetrate these blisters with a straw and blow air into them until they burst. The resulting shapes are reminiscent of a variety of organic forms, including spores, eyes, mouths, genitalia, and other orifices. While the artist sought to emphasize a sensuousness he found inherent in the glue’s materiality, these forms also reference the body in unsettling ways, conjuring up otherworldly anatomies of a post-atomic age.

Jeffrey Grove, DMA Label copy, Variations on Theme: Contemporary Art 1950s - Present, 2012.

Apply to objects where number equals 2012.1.5