Medium and Dimension: Apparition

1 Dec - 24 Dec, 2023

Dates｜December 1 (Friday) - 24 (Sunday), 2023

Opening Hours｜13:00-20:00

Closed: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

［Performance] every Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Venue｜Aoyama Meguro 2-30-6 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0051

Curator｜Takuya Nakao

Artist｜Shota Yamauchi

Medium and Dimension: Apparition is an exhibition on the theme of “Apparition.” The term, which signifies the appearance of ghosts, gods, and other supernormal beings, is derived from a speculation in notes written by Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968). The notes were used for one of the artist’s masterpieces, The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (also known as The Large Glass) (1915–1923), to describe the “apparition” of an object existing in a higher-dimensional realm—beyond the real, three dimensions—in front of the three-dimensional world. “Apparition” is the essence of his work, which attempts to capture higher-dimensional existence through machines and eroticism, while also constituting a critical perspective in the creative act in contemporary art. This exhibition reconsiders the meaning of the word “apparition” from a contemporary perspective through the works of Yamauchi Shota, exploring the possibilities of expressing two, three, and even higher dimensions.

The exhibition stages the encounter of two works. One is The Dancing Princess (2021)—born in a virtual space through computer graphics and based on Yamauchi’s personal experience of love—shedding its skin like a garment. The other is an installation, reconstructing a play about smell created in collaboration with Ueda Maki, Sweaty-oily Sour-cheesy Juice (2023), which takes place in the dreams of a figure sleeping in an aquarium. Yamauchi combines digital technology with physical expression, instigating the sense of touch in the former piece and the sense of smell in the latter, while linking them to emotion and memory. By interlocking the mechanisms of these two autonomous works, the exhibition offers visitors the experience of a manifestation that resonates or is created anew in Yamauchi’s creative world.

The year 2023 marks 100 years since Duchamp abandoned the production of The Large Glass, whose central themes were machines and eroticism. Left unfinished a century ago, the work is often described as an epic of the contemporary human image. This exhibition examines, in this historical year, the present-day nature of “machines” and “eroticism” through Yamauchi’s works, which continue to make full use of current media, overlaying virtual and real spaces to contemplate “technology” and “love.”

Performances will be held irregularly during the exhibition. In conjunction with the performer’s movements, the two works will trigger further chemical reactions, giving rise to a cyclical system.

Organizer｜Medium and Dimension Executive Committee

Cooperation｜KYOTO EXPERIMENT

Supported by: 2023 Agency for Cultural Affairs Media Arts Creator Development Support Program

Profile

Takuya Nakao

Art critic, art studies. D. in art, born in 1981. Writes critiques on modern and contemporary art. He explores the connection between life (or non-art) and production, particularly with the theme of chess, in which Marcel Duchamp was immersed. He is the author of Marcel Duchamp and Chess (Heibonsha, 2017). Recent curations include "Medium and Dimension: Liminal" (Kakinokiso/Tokyo, 2022).

https://nakaotakuya.com

Shota Yamauchi

Artist, born in 1992. As a member of the generation that grew up with the reality after 1995, when the Internet became widespread, he has attempted to clarify the relationship between the self and the world, and the rift between the world as he perceives it and reality in various ways. His media of expression are diverse, including video, sculpture, installation, and performance, and he also freely uses techniques such as clay animation, chroma key, 3DCG, 3D printing, VR, and motion capture.

http://shotayamauchi.com

Talk Event

What is "Apparition"? --On Appearance and Appearance

Reiji Ando (literary critic) x Takuya Nakao x Shota Yamauchi

Saturday, December 16, 15:30-17:00

The images shown here are available for loan for publicity purposes. If you wish to borrow images, please contact us.

Installation view:

http://aoyamameguro.com/current/installation-view-medium-and-dimension/