The Crypt - Juliana Matsumura
Lisbon Art Weekend 10 - 13 November 2022
Crypt:
an underground chamber or vault (typically beneath a church) used as a burial place, chapel or to contain relics and other sacred items.
Origin - from Greek kruptos, meaning ‘hidden’.
The Crypt is a project that brings together the work of Juliana Matsumura into an underground space - revealing and creating harmonies and dissonances between works and place. Governed by process, the monotypes presented here emerged from the rolling compression of the etching press. Through a complex and experimental process of layering, different types of paper, cloths, plastics and natural materials are brought together, contained within one surface. The resulting images contain a beguiling combination of depth, layers, and texture, they are both tactile objects and visual windows.
The formal qualities of the work nod to an interest in nature and spirituality, embracing transformation and rejecting fixed meaning. Defined circles pulse in and out, softly ruptured by layers of organic lines, shapes and textures. They are ever-changing, constantly evolving, escaping the confines of concrete representation. In her own words, “my work is not about representing something, but revealing what is hidden”.
As an intermediary in the process, the etching press establishes chance and surprise as necessary conduits in the making of the work. The unexpected is embraced, allowing the materials to suggest forms for themselves. The resulting works could be best described as alchemical meditations, conjured from an experimental and innovative technical process, there is a magic to the way the images come into being. Concealment and revelation work hand in hand.
