Mata Ne, (See you Soon), a solo exhibition of video and mixed media at Fujiya Gallery, Beppu Japan by British Indian artist Sutapa Biswas (b. 1962, Shantiniketan, West Bengal,). The artist’s first presentation at a Japanese gallery.
Produced during a two-month residency in Japan, Mata Ne, (See you Soon), is inspired by the oral histories of women of Oita, Japan, who recount important moments in their lives. A method of recovering neglected histories, through a methodology exploring autobiographical practice centred on the subjectivity of the narrator. Oral histories focused on women’s experiences that demand revision of the historical. From these oral history’s, Sutapa aims to decenter patriarchal national narratives in Japan, through collaborations that make space for women’s narratives – their voices, experiences, and stories.
With her background in fine art and art history, and frequently inspired by art historical and literary texts, Biswas’ works explore ‘spatial stories’ and the relationships between people and the places they live in. Underpinned by an interest in colonial histories and how this relates to gender, race and class, her art is nuanced by the ways in which oral narratives reveal the human condition and their relationship to our collective histories and to questions of space and time.
Recipient of a major solo exhibition of her work at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in 2021 spanning the artist’s extensive career. Her poignant films and poetic artworks have been shown in museums and art galleries worldwide including: Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool; Neuberger Museum, New York; Whitechapel Gallery (London), Havana Biennial (Cuba); Yale University Art Gallery (USA); Melbourne International Arts Festival 2006 (Australia); Art Gallery of Ontario (Canada); Iniva (UK); Reed Gallery (USA); Nara Roesler Gallery (Brazil); Lalit Kala Akademi (India). In 2014/15, she was Tate Artist in Residence as part of ‘RadioCity 2014/15’. Other projects also include a collaboration with the artist Mary Kelly’s for Tate’s online project ‘On the Passage of a Few People Through a Rather Brief Period of Time’ (2015).
Mata Ne, (See you Soon) was curated by Keith Whittle and commissioned and produced with Beppu NPO as part of Kashima Artist in Residence 2015. Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan.
