Shinjuku East Square – Public Art

Name: Shinjuku East Square – Public Art
Address: Shinjuku, Kantō region, Japan

Written by Greg Lane

Contemporary artist Tomokazu Matsuyama, in collaboration with East Japan Railway
Company, launches a new iconic park space outside the world’s busiest transport hub, JR Shinjuku Station (East Exit).

The new public art project, designed by New York–based contemporary artist Tomokazu Matsuyama, features a 24-ft-tall stainless-steel sculpture, “Hanao-San” amidst a bed of vividly colored floral paintings. It has been open to public since July 20, 2020.

Tomokazu Matsuyama public art — Photo by Tomokazu Matsuyama Studio

The theme of the space is “Metro–Bewilder”, a coined term made up of three words: metro, wild, and bewilder. By conceptualizing those key words, Matsuyama creates a new type of community space by combining two conflicting elements, ‘metro’ and ‘wild’. The design represents the character of Shinjuku city being busy and crowded day and night, ‘bewildering’ people with its duality of elements.

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About the artist: Tomokazu Matsuyama was born in Japan, 1976, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He received his MFA in Communications Design from the Pratt Institute. Matsuyama has held exhibitions around the world at various galleries and institutions. His works are in the permanent collection of LACMA, Asian Art Museum, the Royal Family of Dubai, and many more.

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