Under the moon 2016 collage ©Maki ishii
Berlin-based artist Maki Ishii, who incorporates elements of comics and manga into her work, will hold her first solo exhibition in Japan.
The exhibition venue, "Arai Associatesand "Gallery HATCH." both support emerging and high-profile artists, and both have converted what was once an apartment or a shoe store warehouse into galleries, respectively.
The artist considers these "renovations/transformations" as the "death" of the building, and attempts to create "memories of a certain space that is not specific. The absence and transformation of a building changes the space, landscape, and townscape that used to exist as a matter of course. The major theme of this exhibition is the universal time axis that is brought into relief by weaving together such small fragments.
. The exhibit will consist of two parts, "Horizon" and "Rolling. Part 1, "Horizon," will be held at "Arai Associates" from January 28 (Sat), and will consist of installations that look out over different stages. Part 2, "Rolling," will be held at "Gallery HATCH" from Saturday, February 11. It is composed in such a way that the viewer enters a different space, where he or she does not even know where he or she is.
In this exhibition, the artist will present an installation work in which he searches for his hometown, incorporating everyday scenes he has seen and images from television and comic books. It will also represent the artist's longtime theme of "recreating his hometown.
What is "home" and where is "home"? In recent years, when news of people being forced to flee their homes due to refugee problems and disasters abound, these themes are universal to everyone. It is also a theme that is unique to this artist, who was born out of a deepened consideration of place and bonds that come from living far away from his roots in Japan and in a foreign country, Berlin.
The style is reminiscent of anime such as Fat Tony, but it also contains profound contemporary themes. What I have introduced here is just a part of the story. Please come and see for yourself!
Text_Shinri Kobayashi
Horizon / Rolling" Maki Ishii Exhibition
Dates: Arai Associates / January 28 (Sat) - February 12 (Sun)
Gallery HATCH / February 11 (Sat) - February 19 (Sun)
Venue: Arai Associates
Address: 3F, 5-6-11 Koto-bashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Venue: Gallery HATCH
Address: 6-1-16 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 5:00pm-8:00pm (Wed-Sun)
