From february 20th to march 13th Intermezzo Gallery in Dordrecht, The Netherlands, will present an installation made by Haruka Matsuo.

In her works Haruka Matsuo tries to express subtle human impressions based on ordinary daily life.

She searches for primitive and intrinsic impressions that can easily be forgotten during our normal every day routines.

During her working process she collects all kinds of impressions by having conversations with people about their lives and routines and by exploring their habits and habitations.

During this research she takes pictures and makes sketches connected with her concept.

After a certain amount of time the collected impressions are being materialized into small pieces of work that, more and more, will set the boundaries of the original concept and slowly will develop into a world of their own; an installation originating in and consisting of a whole range of feelings, shared by many people.

Matsuo likes to play with traditional and habitual concepts.

By moving or changing traditional “rules” she likes to arouse a certain feel of imbalance. In this state of imbalance it is possible that new meanings will arise.

For the ‘Provocative teapots’ traditional Japanese teapot ceramics have been combined with traditional Dutch embroidery techniques.

The images used on the teapots are erotic images that contrast with both Japanese and Dutch conservative traditions.

A video, made during a tea ceremony, shows the interaction between the provocative teapots and the people that use them.