Shin Matsunaga (b.1940) is one of Japan’s leading contemporary graphic designers. Embracing a creed that “everything in our lives involves design,” through the years he has cast a sharp critical eye on all ambient design, defied stereotypes, and completely recast the design environment around us.
              In creating his works, Matsunaga focuses on his experiences and perspectives as an everyday citizen of the world. He has defined his stance toward design as “artistic invention within a 3-meter radius.” He believes that it is within ordinary daily life that universality transcending the ages lurks, and his own artistic invention comes from his real experiences and his perspicaciously critical mind. These he infuses into his works, manifesting a stance backed by his unshakable creed and his sincerity toward all on the receiving end of his designs. Matsunaga’s works are said to possess “the aesthetic beauty of everyday life,” yet at the same time their universality transcending everyday parameters brings Matsunaga high acclaim internationally as well.
              Among the diverse accomplishments of Matsunaga’s career spanning half a century, this exhibition will focus on his posters: works that reveal his visual perceptions of humanity and the world. Also on exhibit will be some of his truly brilliant designs in the realms of packaging and corporate identity (CI). The visitor is sure to discover well-known and much beloved brands and products so familiar in our daily lives.
Our hope is that this exhibition will provide the visitor with a starting point for understanding the design philosophy Shin Matsunaga has maintained since the early days of his career – a creative focus on simply crafted expressions that go beyond mere surface meanings and analytically penetrate to the message that lies at the very core of his artistic subjects.