Takayuki Matsuo is a self-taught conceptual artist. He received a cooking license from the Musashino Cooking College, and then transitioned to architecture studies at The Art and Architecture School of Waseda University, in Tokyo.
“In modern society (especially in Japan where I grew up, in the world of cooking it is considered important to arrive at “answer” accurately and efficiently as soon as possible. And those are required to be superior to others. These values tend to seem right for society. On the contrary, deviating from its “answer” is regarded as a failure, a bad and is disgusted. However, is it wrong to be out of the correctness of modern society? Furthermore, is not there a possibility in “useless things”? This is my motivation to do art.”
Matsuo takes his inspiration from collecting found objects mainly from the street and the concept of “tiny waste” commonly perceived as meaningless stuff. He examines the value of things through “natural artifacts” as elements of mystery and meaning that changed status from beneficial to unnecessary, that are naturalized through the loss of their original function, that are unable to maintain their original shape due to aging and external factors. Matsu’s goal is to maximize their potential and eliminate as much ego and subjective action in the creative process. His artistic approach is to identify and attribute value to what was abandoned all of which are inspired by the writings of the Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zhou’s (“THE USEFULNESS OF THE USELESS”) and in Japan by Wajiro Kon (”Modern archeology”) and Genpei Akasegawa (”Street observation”).
He is also part of the ART BEASTIES, a Japanese artist collective based in New York, Seattle, London, and Tokyo. which strives to broaden and deepen the understanding of contemporary Japanese art to an international audience, through pop-up shows and curating an online registrar of Japanese artists.
Selected group and solo exhibitions include 2018, “Time Difference”, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum , Tokyo; 2017 “Gowanus open studio 2017”, Bushwick, New York; 2016 “Bushwick open studio 2016″ Bushwick, New York 2016,”Monster Exhibition 2O16”, Shibuya Hikarie, Tokyo 2016; “Time Difference”, Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art, Hyōgo 2015, “Greed”, Makari, New York 2015 “Bushwick open studio 2015”, Bushwick, New York 2014 “DUMBO Art Festival 2014”, DUMBO, New York.
