We Were Made from Shadows

The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs presents We Were Made from Shadows, featuring large-scale installations and assemblage works by artists Hirona and Riki Matsuda, on view August 23 through September 10, 2023, at City Gallery, located at 34 Prioleau Street.

The public is invited to attend a complimentary reception celebrating the opening of the new exhibition on Thursday, August 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. at City Gallery.

We Were Made from Shadows is a body of site-specific installation and assemblage works using primarily found and salvaged objects that highlight the balance between light, shadow, texture and scale. The exhibition is based on a project the artists, sisters Hirona and Riki, have been developing for more than a decade rooted in themes they observed growing up together in their Charlotte, NC childhood home.

This exhibition focuses mainly on Hirona’s interpretation of these childhood themes and her relationship to growing up in a house where the family business was the central focus of daily life. Several of the concepts were created by Riki and Hirona while living together in Charleston and Ireland, and most of the works feature found materials from personal collections of objects taken from their childhood home.

Those interested in viewing the upcoming exhibition are invited visit City Gallery Wednesday through Sunday between 12 and 5 p.m. Gallery admission is free, and walk-ins are welcome.

Artist Statement

We Were Made from Shadows is a body of work based on a project the Matsuda sisters have been discussing for over a decade. Both use the strong connection to their childhood home to make work based on themes they observed growing up together in Charlotte, NC. This exhibition focuses mainly on Hirona’s interpretation of these themes from childhood and her relationship to growing up in a house where the family business was the central focus of daily life. This continual adaptation from open public space to private family space continues to shape the way she interprets her surroundings. One can look at an assemblage miniature and feel the quiet sanctuary of a small space away from everything and everyone.

Several of the concepts as well as some of the works were created by both Riki and Hirona while living together in Charleston and Ireland. Most of the found materials are from personal collections of objects taken from their childhood home.

About the Artists

Hirona Matsuda

Hirona Matsuda is an Irish-Japanese artist living and working in Charleston, SC. Her work focuses on our relationship to the environment in which we exist. Her found object miniatures capture a visual experience while her kinetic work and installations aim to recall a felt moment by enhancing the space using sound, light, and movement.

Riki Matsuda

Riki Matsuda is a Japanese-Irish artist based in Sample-Studios, Cork. Her work plays with miscommunication and utilizes minimal linework and text to create visual poetry. Matsuda has built an approachable language based on the limitations she experienced being raised in a culturally mixed environment. Her work is a recording of these observations and her newfound awareness of the nuance and humor found in misunderstanding.