Darrell Matsumoto
Constructed Photographs (1989-2009)


Community College of Rhode Island’s Knight Campus Art Gallery
Opening reception: Thursday, October 1, 5 – 7 pm at the Art Gallery
(Room 3500, 3rd floor, Round Building)
Artist talk 6 pm followed by refreshments
Exhibition dates: October 2 – October 29, 2009

NEW: Images from the opening


“Darrell Matsumoto: Constructed Photographs (1989-2009),” the first exhibition of the 2009-10 academic year at the Community College of Rhode Island’s Knight Campus Art Gallery, will open with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, with an artist talk at 6 p.m. The show will run from Oct. 2 to 29.

In the exhibition, South Kingstown resident Matsumoto presents both color and black-and-white photographs. His colorful images balance on the edge of painting and photography, using found objects and composing them into often ironic or witty juxtapositions, occasionally adding text to explain the meaning – or perhaps to confuse the viewer. Matsumoto constructs and photographs these often-surreal works, outbursts of color and metaphor in his studio.

His recent series of black-and-white photographs, “White” has a different feeling. Although the playfulness of constructing the images is still present, it is manifested in a simple and direct way: There is just one found object photographed on a white background. Much white space is available for the viewer’s imagination; whiteness is used like a silence, surrounding and emphasizing each object, found, bought or received.

“I attempt to make work that can engage and seduce, to report, to explicate. I am interested in making metaphors,” Matsumoto said. “I admire the elegance of haiku, however I am drawn to opera. If it were possible, the synthesis of haiku and opera is the work I aspire to make.” This exhibition shows both elements, simplicity and color extravaganza, through carefully constructed photographs.

Born in Hilo, Hawaii, Matsumoto earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from the University of Hawaii, Manoa, and his Master of Fine Arts in photography from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has taught at RISD, Roger Williams University and Hamilton College and is now associate professor and chairman of the Department of Photography, Media Arts and Design at Chester College of New England. His work is in collections such as RISD Museum of Art, William Benton Museum of Art and Franklin Furnace Archive at MoMA.

The gallery is located in Community College of Rhode Island, Room 3500, on the third floor of the round building at the Warwick campus, 400 East Ave.
Gallery hours are from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.
For more information, e-mail gallery director and exhibition curator Viera Levitt at knightgallery@ccri.edu.