Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009

Yoko Matsumoto, Light Shining in Wilderness I, 1992, acrylic on canvas - Photo by Tadasu Yamamoto. Courtesy of Hino Gallery

A pair of artists spanning two generations and working in separate mediums are the subjects of a new exhibition at the gargantuan National Art Center in Nogizaka. Born in 1936, Yoko Matsumoto is a veteran abstract painter known for large-scale canvasses that depict endless gradations of light in shimmering pinks and greens. Berlin-based photographer Rika Noguchi is a child of the ’70s who points her lens both up at the heavens and down at the oceans, creating giant, mysterious landscapes that are often described as having a spiritual quality.

National Art Center, Tokyo, through Oct 19. See exhibition listings (Akasaka/Roppongi) for details.