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About

Rui Matsunaga's hypnotic paintings draw you into other times and other worlds. She transports elements of the present into an unknown future, creating gatekeepers who seem to beckon us into their spiritual world - magazine pin-ups adopt the lotus pose and commune with the dead and Mickey Mouse turns to the dark side. Nature is dominant here, and wolves and owls, ivy and cherry blossom frame each character as divining rods, pagan symbols and spheres of energy circle overhead. A delicate grisaille girl punctuates Matsunaga's work. Perhaps an alter-ego of the artist, her body is an amalgam of futuristic armour, flowers and cobweb tatting, her uplifted eyes looking far into the future.She is entranced, lost in a vision. Her raised hand asks us to pause a moment and join her in the experience. How can we refuse? Charlotte Mullins, February 2007