ART CITIES:Perth-Mariko Mori
Born in Tokyo in 1967, Mariko Mori first made an impact on the international art scene in the early-mid 1990s. Her perfectly-formed and powerfully ambitious sculptural and photographic work of that period was an immediately accessible reflection on the ways our identities were being shaped by various technologies and the philosophies driving them. Over the last decade, Mori’s practice has gradually shifted in focus. Moving away from the urban realm, she has started exploring the connections between the human and other worlds in increasingly universal ways.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Art Gallery of Western Australia Archive
Rebirth was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London in 2012-13, then at the Japan Society,New York in 2013-14 and is now presented at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2015. Rebirth is an immersive, contemplative experience composed of installations, glowing LED sculptures, photographs, drawings and videos. The exhibition is sequenced in order to invite you on a journey through concepts of origin, rupture and, of course, rebirth. Mori’s work resonates with audiences around the world through the exploration of themes such as life, death and rebirth. Rebirth signals a profound shift from Mori’s earlier pop-inflected and often slightly ironic performance, video and photography towards the crafting of more enveloping, contemplative and participatory experiences. Expressing a deep and sincere concern for the ways that technology and the natural environment might coexist, Mori’s recent work showcased in Rebirth asks visitors to take the time to reflect in the show and explore a different state of mind. In White Hole the rebirth of an actual star is imagined. The opposite of a black hole that eats up planets and stars, White hole enacts a star being annihilated by this space and then being released, reborn, through a white hole. The work is located in its own purpose built room and is composed of an electronically-generated image that changes from minute particles to a whirling line, culminating in a body of light. Highlights include many of Mori’s most important recent works. Transcircle 1.1 2004, is a modern-day stone circle that features nine pillars linked Real Time to nine planets in our solar system. Each pillar has a different moving, coloured light in the circle to emit the light of a stellar rebirth. AGWA Director, Stefano Carboni, said the Gallery was delighted to announce Mariko Mori’s Rebirth as a major exhibition for the Art Gallery of WA in 2015. “Mariko Mori is a highly acclaimed artist with a strong international following. Her work is imbued with a positive and focused energy as she explores connections between humankind, nature and the larger universe we are all a part of. Rebirth will offer visitors a rich experience as they engage with delights such as large-form glowing sculptures and quietly meditative pieces.”
Info: Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Cultural Centre Garden, Perth, Australia, Duration: 8/2-29/6/15, Days & Hours: Wed-Mon: 10:00-17:00, www.artgallery.wa.gov.au/index.asp
