Past Exhibitions
Sat, Sep 14, 2019 - Mon, Jan 13, 2020
“Significant Otherness” was the first Japan solo exhibition for internationally renowned artist Inomata Aki. The exhibition title is a nod to science historian Donna Haraway and her proposal for a new form of human relationship with other species on earth. The exhibition showcased works such as Why Not Hand Over a “Shelter” to Hermit Crabs? , which finds her using a 3D printer to create city-like shells for hermit crabs. Through these interspecies collaborations, Inomata uses humor to question the realities of life on earth. Inomata’s works highlighted non-human perspectives and gave visitors a chance to reflect on the flow of time, the environment, and the ecosystems of earth.
1. The first comprehensive exhibition of AKI INOMATA’s works in Japan
INOMATA has presented her works in numerous exhibits so far including KENPOKU ART 2016 and the Asian Art Award 2018, however this occasion marks her first large-scale exhibition to simultaneously introduces 6 projects.
2. Live hermit crabs in the exhibition!
Hermit crabs that serve as key collaborators in INOMATA’s practice will be on live display in the exhibition at Towada Art Center. Visitors may have the chance to witness the actual hermit crabs moving into “shelters” (3D-printed shells) made by INOMATA with their very own eyes. As it is usually difficult to display living creatures inside the museum, this exhibition is a rare and valuable opportunity.
※The installation and operation of the living exhibits are carried out with the advice of specialists and research institutions.
3. Debut of the new work Galloping Nambu breed horse
INOMATA produced a new work during her stay in Towada inspired by the Nambu breed of horse that had formerly been bred in the region where Towada is located. This exhibition marks the inaugural unveiling of this work.
AKI INOMATA
Born in 1983. AKI INOMATA graduated with an MFA in Inter-media Art from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2008. Her creative process centers around transforming collaborations with living creatures into artworks. These works include Why Not Hand Over a “Shelter” to Hermit Crabs?, where 3D-printed hermit crab “shelters” are given to the crustaceans who go on to inhabit her ornate creations, and I Wear the Dog’s Hair, and the Dog Wears My Hair, in which the artist and her dog wear capes made out of the other’s hair.
Her recent exhibitions include Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival at The XXII Triennale di Milano; Thailand Biennale Krabi 2018; AKI INOMATA, Why Not Hand Over a “Shelter” to Hermit Crabs? (Musee de Nantes, France, 2018); Coming of Age (Sector 2337, Chicago, 2017); KENPOKU ART 2016; Eco Expanded City (WRO Art Center, Wroclaw, Poland, 2016); emergencies! 025: AKI INOMATA Inter-Nature Communication (NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC], Tokyo, 2015); Digital Choc 2015: la fabrique du réel (Institut français du Japon, Tokyo, 2015); and Ars Electronica (Linz, 2014). In 2017, she stayed in New York on an Individual Fellowship Grant from the Asian Cultural Council.
photo: Kenshu Shintsubo
Title
Date
Location
Towada Art Center
Hours
9:00-17:00 (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Closed
Mondays
except for National Holidays, in which case the museum is open on the holiday and closed the following Tuesday
*Closed December 28, 2019 through January 1, 2020 for year-end holidays
Location
Towada Art Center
Admission
Exhibition + Permanent Collection: 1,200 yen Exhibition only: 800 yen
100 yen/ticket discount for groups of 20 or more High school students and younger: Free
Organized by
Towada Art Center
Also Sponsored by
Shimadzu Corporation
Special Support From
MAHO KUBOTA GALLERY
In Cooperation With
AQUARIUM ASAMUSHI, TRNK exhibition preparation, Matsumoto Chaho, SOMARTA, VIVIENNE TAM, UN3D.
Endorsed by
To-o Nippo Press, The Daily-Tohoku Shimbun Inc., Aomori Broadcasting Cooperation, Aomori Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd., Asahi Broadcasting Aomori Co., Ltd., & Towada City Board of Education
Curator
Kodama Kanazawa
Assistant Curator
Sayaka Mitome
ThinkEvolution#1:Kiku-ishi(Ammonite)
2016-2017 © AKI INOMATA / Courtesy of Maho Kubota Gallery
girl,girl,girl...
2012 © AKI INOMATA / Courtesy of Maho Kubota Gallery
Lines—Listening to the Growth Lines of Shellfish ver. 3.0
2018,
(Top) Asari clam sampled at Matsukawa-ura in Soma, Fukushima on July 17th, 2015 (Bottom) Asari clam sampled at Matsukawa-ura in Soma, Fukushima on July 3rd, 2011
Photo: Ken Kato
© AKI INOMATA / Courtesy of Maho Kubota Gallery
