Bergamin & Gomide brings the work of Takesada Matsutani to Brazil for the first time Born in Japan and a member of the Gutai group’s second generation, the artist recently participated in the 57th Venice Biennale in Italy in 2017. Matsutani will participate in the installation of the exhibition and will perform at a parallel event at the JAPAN HOUSE in São Paulo. One of the characteristics that distinguishes the work of Paris-based Japanese artist Takesada Matsutani is the material he uses to create his works: vinyl glue – a type of fast-acting contact adhesive that is flexible after drying. The artist represents a new departure for abstract expressionism and will be present at his first ever exhibition in Brazil, presented by Bergamin & Gomide starting on March 3rd, in partnership with Hauser & Wirth and organized with Olivier Renaud-Clément. In his early experiments, Matsutani impregnated the canvas surface with bulbous elements, using his own breath to create swollen and ruptured forms that evoke flesh and wounds. His career began in the 1960s as a key-member of the “second generation” of the Gutai Art Association, post-war Japan’s innovative and influential art collective. One of the most important artists still working today, Matsutani continues to demonstrate the Gutai spirit, conveying the reciprocity between pure gesture and raw material. His paintings, drawings and sculptures engage with themes of eternity and echo the endless cycles of life and death. He recalls: “The glue began to drip and, as it dried, bulges began to form, resembling a cow’s udders.” Inspired by observing bacteria through a microscope at a friend’s laboratory, Matsutani further developed this technique using a hairdryer to create forms that recall the curves of the human body. Around 20 works were selected for the exhibition at Bergamin & Gomide: paintings and works on paper made with graphite, vinyl glue and acrylic, among other materials. In the past three years, Matsutani had solo exhibitions at Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology (Krakow, 2018), Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles (Los Angeles, 2017), Hauser & Wirth, Zurich, (Switzerland, 2016), Otani Memorial Art Museum, 'Currents', Nishinomiya (Japan, 2015) and Hauser & Wirth New York (New York, 2015). Circa 1977, a few years following the breakup of the Gutai group, Matsutani sought to distill his practice: "If you only have one paper and a pencil, what can you do with them?” the artist asked himself. Working exclusively with black graphite in an expressive manner, Matsutani covered a textured canvas or a monumental sheet of paper with repetitive, successive strokes. Through the building of layers, each mark and charcoal smudge captures the accumulation of energy and tension in a powerful manifestation of material and time. In addition to the exhibition at Bergamin & Gomide, Matsutani will perform a parallel program at JAPAN HOUSE São Paulo, at Paulista Avenue. Between 6 and 11 of March, the space will receive two works by the artist, in addition to exclusive performances. One of them, open to the public, will be held on the 11th and will integrate the programming of the Paulista Cultural event; an initiative that provides a special program in several institutions of Paulista Avenue, such as Casa das Rosas, Centro Cultural Fiesp, Instituto Moreira Salles, Itaú Cultural and MASP. Created by the Japanese government in São Paulo, Los Angeles and London, the JAPAN HOUSE acts as a dissemination point for all elements of contemporary Japanese culture to the international community by means of cultural programming and experiences open to the public. +55 11 3853-5800 Rua Oscar Freire 379 loja 1 São Paulo bergamingomide.com.br Takesada Matsutani Selected Works 1972 - 2017 Curators: Bergamin & Gomide with Hauser & Wirth and Olivier Renaud-Clément. Opening: March 3rd (Saturday) from 11 am to 3pm On view until April 20, 2018 Opening hours: Mon. to Fri., 10 am to 7 pm; Sat., 10 am to 3 pm Free admission Galeria Bergamin & Gomide Rua Oscar Freire, 379, loja 1, ph. 11 3853-5800 www.bergamingomide.com.br The artist’s exhibitions at Hauser & Wirth: https://www.hauserwirth.com/exhibitions/3228/takesada-matsutani/view/ https://www.hauserwirth.com/exhibitions/2741/takesada-matsutani/view/ https://www.hauserwirth.com/exhibitions/2641/takesada-matsutani/view/ https://www.hauserwirth.com/exhibitions/1823/takesada-matsutani-a-matrix/view/ About Bergamin & Gomide: Founded by Jones Bergamin in São Paulo in 2000, the Bergamin Gallery was first located in a house built in the 1950s by architect Vilanova Artigas in the Jardins district. The opening exhibition was a retrospective of artist Iberê Camargo and, between 2001 and 2005, André Millan (who was then a partner) organized exhibitions of works by Mira Schendel, Lygia Pape, Tunga and Miguel Rio Branco. During this period, the gallery also invited curators to develop projects, such as Lisette Lagnado’s “Através” which displayed to the public Lygia Pape’s iconic work “Tteia”, today on permanent exhibition at Inhotim. Solo exhibitions were held of artists such as José Resende, Aluísio Carvão, Alair Gomes and Milton Dacosta, as well as group exhibitions such as “Arte Cinética”, “Os Modernistas”, “As Bienais” and “Nus”, in partnership with the Fortes Vilaça gallery. In 2012, Antonia Bergamin, the daughter of Jones Bergamin, took over the helm of the gallery together with Thiago Gomide. The partners have since defined a new profile for the gallery: with a focus on private sales of post-war Brazilian and foreign artists, Bergamin & Gomide opened its new space on Oscar Freire Street in August 2013. Without a set stable of artists, the gallery has the flexibility of working with a broad range of artists, whether they are renowned or young, Brazilian or foreign. This freedom also allows the gallery to organize exhibitions around different themes, periods and movements. The program showcases four exhibitions a year, both solo and group: “E você nem imagina que Epaminondas sou eu”, of works by Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato, curated by Rivane Neuenschwander and Alexandre da Cunha (2014); the group show “Atributos do Silêncio” curated by Felipe Scovino (2015); “BEUYS”, which displayed sculptures, drawings, works on paper and videos, including the classics “Felt Suit” and “I like America and America likes me”, in the first solo exhibition ever of the German artist in a Brazilian gallery (2016); and Fabio Mauri (Senza Arte), an exhibition dedicated to the Italian artist (2017). In addition, Bergamin & Gomide participates in art fairs in Brazil and abroad, such as Art Basel, TEFAF NY Spring, Art Basel Miami Beach, Semana de Arte and SP-Arte, and develops partnerships with important foreign art galleries. ----- Press contact: Juliana Gola | 11 99595-2341 | [email protected] +55 11 3853-5800 Rua Oscar Freire 379 loja 1 São Paulo bergamingomide.com.br .