Ken Matsubara's masterpiece is on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Art
The exhibition "Chaos: Ken Matsubara's Buddhist Masterwork" will be held at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in the United States from September 2, 2023 to March 10, 2024.
Two paintings separated by 600 years, the 14th century "Taiman Mandala" and the 20th century "Chaos" by Matsubara Ken. Though chronologically separated, the two works are connected by a Buddhist thread.
In this installation, accompanied by the sound of singing bowls, the viewer becomes a bridge between Matsubara's depiction of human conflict and the pure land of the Taima Mandala. Sit, be still, and concentrate on being with the art.
Matsubara Ken was born in Toyama Prefecture in 1948. He grew up in his relatives' temple, where he admired and copied the traditional Buddhist art displayed throughout the temple. In his late twenties, he became an apprentice to Inoue Mitsutsuna, a Japanese painter famous for his Western abstract paintings. "Chaos" (1983) was a moment of synthesis and departure. He combined his knowledge of Buddhist concepts with his teacher's abstract expression to create a new form of expression, his own unique abstract expression of space and sound.
(From the exhibition's official website)
