Selected Past Projects

Museum as Wonderland: museums within a museum

17 — 23  November 1998  Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan

This project was commissioned by the Fukuoka Art Museum. Here I was invited to focus on the 'deconstruction of the museum'. I had conducted my research on this theme for six months, based on fieldwork at the museum and other related locations, as well as written sources. The resulting stimulative discussion relating to concepts of art, with people working in the institutional environment became a key aspect in deconstructing the institution. Therefore, I asked the people who are involved in the museum in various ways (i.e. curators, receptionists, security guards, waiters and waitresses of the museum cafe, and so forth) to submit their ideas to exhibit in the small spaces called 'museums within a museum'. Their ideas for the 'museums' were instructed to be based on what they believe important to be exhibited as 'art'. During the exhibition I conducted a series of gallery talks in which I interviewed those involved in making 'exhibitions'. This constituted a performance.

Swedish Language School in the Kitchen

June 13, 1998   EVENTA4 Ekeby Qbarn Art Space, Upsala, Sweden

Performance on the occasion of the EVENTA 4 Art Show at the Ekeby Qbarn Art Space in Upsala, Sweden. Performance in the kitchen of the site. The visitors taught me the Swedish language.

Japanese Language School in Art Space

7:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. September 10 - 29 1996
Japanese Artists in Humburg Kampnagel K3 Hall, Humburg, Germany

I constructed a classroom at the exhibition site, and conducted a series of performances of teaching Japanese to the audience. In these lessons, each participant introduced him/herself in Japanese. By the end of the lesson, each individual learned basic information about each other. This was only one of the basic forms of communications, but it was presented as an art practice which serves as a potential site for communication.

Workshop for the Trial Domain

June 13 - July 13 1996 Trial Domain Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo

I was commissioned a series of workshops for art college students by the Tama Art University Museum. I conducted three types of workshops. First, in the Museum a group of students and I reconstructed a life-size gallery space of the Lunami Gallery in Tokyo. I asked them to organize a series of exhibitions there. Secondly, I asked them to conduct a series of interviews with gallery directors and artists in Tokyo, and to publish a book of the interviews. Lastly, I asked them to reconstruct an art-related panel discussion I organized when I was an art college student. The students read the script based on the documentation of the discussion. At the end of the workshop I organized a discussion on sites for artistic expression with the students who participated in this project.
This may be something specific to Japan, but art education at art colleges in Japan lays great emphasis on technical aspects of producing works. Through these workshops, I wanted to provide the art students with an opportunity to think about the relationship between society and art, or the positioning of artist in a social context. Art and artists' activities in Japan are separated from the society. I am concerned with such a situation, and I still feel strongly the need of a site where I can construct the relationship between art and society.

Performance WORDS IN GALLERY

18:30 May 14 1996 Gallery SOWAKA, Kyoto

I interviewed a lady who came to see this exhibition at the Gallery Sowaka. I asked her some questions such as:

Why are you here?
How did you come here?
What do you think of this exhibition?

As this performance proceeded, her existence was transformed from an audience towards an individual with a name. The relationship among the site, her, and myself became clarified.
Through this performance, I wanted to question how a gallery is supposed to function. A gallery is often talked about in relation to curators and artists, or works and space. However, I do not think that a gallery is a place to talk about myself. I believe that it is a place which creates a network of people, and that it becomes valuable only when such a network is constructed.

50 tents

August 1 - 30, 1994?Tsuki '94 Out-door Exhibition Tsukui, Japan

I placed 50 yellow tent-shaped objects on a camping site.

2500 Sticks

November 10-20 1994 Deri Japanische Kunstler Out-door Installation Kiel,Germany

I kept hammering sticks on a farm in Kiel, Germany everyday for two weeks. These repeated acts are the documentation of my existence (i.e. where and when I was) at the sire. Individual sticks hammered daily become the proof of the fact that I was there at that time.

5000 sticks

September 1 - 30 1992  Nature and Culture Husum, Germany

I hammered 5000 sticks along the coast of Husum City in Germany every day for two weeks. The city is known for strong winds and the large ebb and flow of the tide on the coast. Under such an environment, I waited on the coast until the tide was at the ebb every day so that I could hammer the sticks. The act of hammering sticks records my trivial existence in contrast to nature, and also becomes an evidence of the moment I was there.

Found Object

February 1 - 30 1991 Idea from Japan Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth, Australia

I found some objects on the ground. I arranged them in a certain form and took a photo there. After taking the photo, I placed them back to the original spot. I repeated this procedure at different spots.