The sculpture "LIFE (Together Forever)" by Soshiro Matsubara features muted, earthy tones with a smooth, elongated form of entwined figures, topped with a marble-like sphere. The figures, resembling estranged lovers, merge into a singular form, emphasizing the themes of obsession and attachment. Matsubara's style reflects a blend of surrealism and absurdity, using glazed ceramics to evoke a sense of the uncanny. This piece draws from historical narratives of love and longing, particularly inspired by the turbulent relationship between Oskar Kokoschka and Alma Mahler. ...
Soshiro Matsubara’s work is concerned with eroticism, desire, the lewd and the absurd. During an artistic process that begins with the accumulation of old magazine snippets and antiques, he pieces together assembled sculptures made from glazed ceramics, depictions of estranged or deranged lovers entwined. Much of Matsubara’s work has focused on Oskar Kokoschka and his bizarre and turbulent relationship with Alma Mahler, which saw him commission a life-sized doll of his ex-lover, a physical manifestation of his lovesickness and desperation. Matsubara says that he is attracted to the obsession, attachment, weirdness and humour of the story. Through the installations and paintings that Kokoschka’s love affair inspired, Matsubara raises questions of simulation, stimulation and the uncanny. ...
In 2016 Croy Nielsen moved from Berlin to Vienna, where it is located in the beletage apartment of a historical building in the 1st district. The gallery was founded by Oliver Croy (AT) and Henrikke Nielsen (DK). Artists such as Nina Beier, Marie Lund, and Benoît Maire, have been part of the program since its inception, and were later joined by Olga Balema, Georgia Gardner Gray, and Sandra Mujinga. Vienna-based artists include Ernst Yohji Jaeger, Joanna Woś, and Soshiro Matsubara. The gallery has strong ties to the Nordic region, representing several artists from the Scandinavian contries and regularly participating in fairs and projects in the area. ...
