⑩MATSUNAGA Keita Monuke 2024

Entitled Monuke (lit. ecdysis), this work looks like a silkworm cocoon. Initially named intuitively, this title later overlapped in Matsunaga’s mind with the image of a larva in a pupa, which once liquefies and then reconstructs itself to an adult. This image, with traces of unfathomable energy, has come to have a great significance for him. In the clay slip casting process used by Matsunaga, clay in its earthen state is once turned into liquid, and the work is formed by letting the mold absorb the water content of the slip.
The realization that this process resembles the pupation of insects inspired the artist to match the technique with the expression of his inner self. In this series, slip is poured over a longer period than is typical for this method. This causes changes in the state of the slip at the top and bottom, making the surface of the completed work look like layered strata. While pottery is a familiar tool for Japanese people, this is the result of confrontation with ceramics by Matsunaga, who has a different sense of distance from conventional views.