Layered Places: Artists' Books by Kyoko Matsunaga

Introduction

The University of Michigan Library’s collection includes three Artists’ Books by Japanese artist Kyoko Matsunaga. While different in binding, size and content, the similar themes of the three works demonstrates how Artists’ Books can convey complex ideas about place.

Whether real or imagined, Matsunaga’s books create immersive places and despite their small size, they transport the viewer to a place of her making. For Matsunaga, Artists’ Books, are a chance to “reassemble [my] memories and give them new meaning. It is like finding a constellation” (Matsunaga, 2016). In addition to memory, her work often focuses on place because, “Any place has personal and social memories and I’m interested in the multi-layered aspect of place” (Matsunaga, 2016). By turning the page to see a half hidden image or rotating the book to see the next subject to jump across the stones, Matsunaga reconstructs her memories to form ideas about place and perception. She compiles and configures memories of places to create new experiences. Matsunaga’s books converge many memories of a single location and layer them to form a distinctly different place.

With this exhibit we hope to overcome some of the obstacles books present using video clips. Kyoko Matsunaga’s books demonstrate this unique art form’s ability to both transcend and utilize traditional book structures to create meaningful and beautiful works of art.

What are Artists' Books?

The term Artists’ Books is an unexpectedly controversial one. From the placement of the apostrophe to what belongs in the..

Artist Biography

Kyoko Matsunaga was born in Hyogo Japan in 1981. She received her BFA in Printmaking in 2004 from Kyoto Seika..

The Intersection

Using an accordion style binding of her own invention, The Intersection documents a cycle of a street light in Tokyo...

Moonset Cordiero

The title for this tunnel-pop up book hybrid came to Matsunaga in a dream while the scenery inside comes from..

Stepping Stones

On the Kamo River in the artist's home of Kyoto, people of all ages hop across the river on stepping..

Videos of Books Used

Kamo Stepping Stones by Kyoko Matsunaga

View video on YouTube
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Moonset Cordiero by Kyoko Matsunga

View video on YouTube
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The Intersection by..

About This Exhibit

This online exhibition is one of multiple exhibitions that pull from the collections of Artists' Books at the Art, Architecture, and..