Ken Matsubara

Through his sculptural works, Ken Matsubara explores the possibility of melting memories that reside deep within one’s consciousness. He incorporates photography and video with found objects and antiques in an attempt to unlock the memories that are embodied within. Working with the belief that recollections are genetically inherent in human DNA and contain vast knowledge of the past, Matsubara considers how shared collective memories can extend beyond the individual. Memory, in his view, has the potential to transcend the boundaries of cultural, historical, and social notions of individuality. People fluctuate between the past and the future in a state of repetition, ceaselessly inquiring its meaning.

“Repetition and recollection are the same movement, just in opposite directions, because what is recollected has already been and is thus repeated backwards, whereas genuine repetition is recollected forwards.”
— Søren Kierkegaard

Matsubara lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. His work has been displayed in numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout Japan, the USA, and Europe, and is part of many significant collections, including the International Polaroid Collection in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Goldman Sachs Collection in New York; and the Museum of Fine Arts Collection in Houston, Texas.