Soshiro Matsubara’s work is concerned with eroticism, desire, the lewd and the absurd. Much of Matsubara’s work has focused on Oskar Kokoschka and his bizarre and turbulent relationship with Alma Mahler, which saw him commission a life-sized doll of his ex-lover, a physical manifestation of his lovesickness and desperation. Matsubara says that he is attracted to the obsession, attachment, weirdness and humour of the story. Through the installations and paintings that Kokoschka’s love affair inspired, Matsubara raises questions of simulation, stimulation and the uncanny.

Matsubara’s artistic process often starts with the gathering of old magazine snippets and objects from antique shops and then develops into piecing together assembled sculptures made from glazed ceramics. His collection of objets trouvés expands beyond the exhibitions and composes his own personal cabinet, part of which he sells online through a shop he calls Haus der Matsubara. From the most childish and quirky drawing to the most elaborated, surreal ones, the Instagram shop platforms a wide selection of treasures acquired by the artist over time, a core part of his practice along with his own paintings, sculptures, and installations.