2020 Inaugural Program [Spring/Summer]Thank You Memory:
From Cidre to Contemporary Art

Artists

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  FUJII Hikaru

  Born 1976 in Tokyo, Japan. Lives and works in Tokyo. Fujii’s works are based on historical events and present structural critiques of unseen zones of society. He has earned international accolades for wizardry with the moving image that enables silent things to speak eloquently. He will present a video installation documenting the process of renovating the Brick Warehouse.

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  HATAKEYAMA Naoya

  Born 1958 in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. Lives and works in Tokyo. Since his debut as a photographer, Hatakeyama has consistently produced works that focus on the trilateral relationship among nature, city, and the medium of photography. His tranquil photographs, based on profound thought and intensive research, seem to connect on some level to linguistic modes of expression such as literature and philosophy. He is scheduled to exhibit works portraying the process of renovating the Brick Warehouse.

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  ©Yoshitomo Nara

  NARA Yoshitomo

  Born 1959 in Hirosaki, Japan. Since the mid-1990s he has been the subject of numerous exhibitions at museums and galleries in Europe, the United States, Japan, and Asia. His practice encompasses portraiture in which the subjects appear to stare back at the viewer; loosely drawn works on paper; sculptures made of wood, FRP, ceramic, bronze; and multi-media installations that completely redefine the gallery space. The museum is scheduled to exhibit his recent photographs documenting the daily creation of his works, as well as various encounters during his travels.

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  Photo: Philippe Chancel

  Jean-Michel OTHONIEL

  Born 1964 in Saint-Etienne, France. Lives and works in Paris. Since the early 1990s, Othoniel has been employing reversible materials in his work while focusing on processes such as transformation, sublimation, and mutation. He is globally recognized for many large sculptures made with Murano glass that harmonize with their surrounding environments, and is currently planning sculptures for this site, potentially including works inspired by apples.

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  Navin RAWANCHAIKUL

  Born 1971 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Lives and works in Chiang Mai and Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Rawanchaikul’s issues of identity as a Thai of Indian descent have led him to create projects and works that are rooted in communities. He derives joy in life from interaction with others and expresses the diversity inherent in community through paintings and video works. He is in the planning stages of large-scale paintings and video work based on interviews with Hirosaki residents.

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  Photo: Kazuko Fukunaga

  SASAMOTO Aki

  Born 1980 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Lives and works in New York. Sasamoto produces sculptures and installations, notably works that involve sculpturally segmenting spaces in which she performs dances, and improvisational performances utilizing words and objects. Here she is planning to create an installation that combines old furnishings and materials remaining in the Brick Warehouse, and stage a performance that harnesses the power of the space.

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  YIN Xiuzhen

  Born 1963 in Beijing, China. Lives and works in Beijing. Using materials such as old clothing and second-hand goods, Yin creates three-dimensional works that draw on the sort of personal memories that vanish in the course of modernization and urbanization. In 2010, she was the first Chinese female artist to hold a solo exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. She is planning a project employing used clothing donated by Hirosaki residents.

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  HAN Ishu (First “Hirosaki Exchange” invited artist)

  Born 1987 in Shanghai, China. Lives and works in Tokyo. Han’s work deals with questions and conundrums arising from the relation of society and the individual, using his own body and everyday objects and employing various media including video, installation, photography, and painting, with sincerity and a humorous edge. Han, who lived in Hirosaki until graduating from high school, will re-exhibit his first work shown in Hirosaki and exhibit key subsequent works.