1839 Contemporary Gallery is pleased to present Monologue of Plants in the Still Night, a solo exhibition by Japanese photographer KOSHI MATSUMOTO, on view from September 5 through October 11, 2026. As part of a touring exhibition that has traveled from Osaka and Yokohama to Taipei, the exhibition brings together a selection of works that reflect the artist’s ongoing engagement with plant life and the subtle rhythms of nature.
For many years, Matsumoto has explored ecological subjects through photography, focusing on the cycles of growth, decay, and renewal found in the natural world. Through his observation of forests at night, plants emerge not as passive elements of the landscape but as autonomous presences with their own vitality and agency. Illuminated by delicate light, they reveal traces of life that often remain unnoticed in everyday experience.
In Monologue of Plants in the Still Night, leaves, flowers, branches, and fruits become meditations on memory, time, and regeneration. Rather than portraying nature as scenery, Matsumoto invites viewers to contemplate alternative rhythms of existence, ones shaped by cyclical transformation rather than linear progression. His photographs offer a quiet space for reflection on humanity’s relationship with the living world.
1839 Contemporary Gallery warmly invites audiences to experience this contemplative exhibition and discover the silent yet profound narratives embedded within plant life.
About Photographer: KOSHI MATSUMOTO
Koshi Matsumoto (b. 1961, Hiroshima) is a Japanese photographer, writer, and guitarist. A graduate of Osaka University of Arts, he began his freelance career at 24 and made his professional debut in Asahi Camera in 1984. Widely recognized as a pioneer of “night photography,” his landmark series Sleepless Landscapes redefined the visual language of urban nocturnes. Over four decades, Matsumoto has published acclaimed works including Midnight Sketches and Swimming Night, and exhibited internationally in Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, and beyond. His art explores memory, light, and the evolving relationship between humanity and urban space, establishing him as a leading figure in contemporary Japanese photography.
KOSHI MATSUMOTO
Monologue of Plants in the Still Night
Exhibition Dates | September 5 – October 11, 2026
Opening Reception | September 5, 2026, 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Gallery Director｜ Edward, I-Chien CHIU (phD)
Organizer: 1839 Contemporary Gallery (specializing in photographic art gallery). What’s 1839? It mean the invention of photography in 1839)
Address: B1, No. 120, Yanji Street, Da’an District, Taipei City
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