Exhibition - INFINITE RENEW / Mariko Mori

Copyright © Hideki Inaba, 2013

Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo is delighted to welcome New York-based, internationally-acclaimed Japanese Artist, Mariko Mori, for a carte-blanche exhibition.

Curator of the Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo 8TH exhibition entitledInfinite Renew, Mariko Mori redefines and inhabits the gallery’s high-ceiling and glazed space through 8 pieces, out of which 7 have been created especially for the show and 3 are supported by Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo.

Around the Infinite Energy triptych – a series of 3 high-tech spirals connecting from the floor to the ceiling and beyond through a camera/LED real-time monitored the visitor – Mariko Mori shows 3 sculptures from her newest research: Renew sculpture I, Renew sculpture II and Butterfly.

The sculpture series of Renew follows the Möbius form and reflects the common faith of existence, from the primal particles to the multiverse, the never-ending circulation of the life and death. As every existence renews its life, there is no beginning or end. Every atom on the earth is produced in the Universe, and our body is composed from those atoms. The Universe is a mother of all living forms. Considering 96% of our universe is made up of invisible energy, our beings may also be made of this same invisible energy.

The sculpture Birds II and the animated movie Ālaya, displayed on the LED screen (at ground floor level of the venue), link to the Artist’s personal experiences while, like the other pieces exhibited here, they express something deemed invisible.

The exhibition Infinite Renew indeed invites the visitors to experience an endless renewal of invisible energy, but it also reminds us of "our common faith of the endless renewal of its energy".

Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo would like to express its thanks and gratitude to Mariko Mori, for sharing with us perceptions which may lead us to understand the true meaning of our existence, and her Studio in New York City, to gallery SCAI THE BATHHOUSE (Tokyo), Sean Kelly (New York) and to Galerie Forsblom (Helsinki) for their unwavering support during the preparation of the exhibition.

Photo: David Sims

Mariko Mori

Mariko Mori is an internationally acclaimed artist whose work has been acquired by museums and private collectors worldwide. Mori gained recognition for her interactive installation, WAVE UFO, which included in the 2005 Venice Biennale. It was also featured in Oneness, a survey of Mori’s work that opened at the Groninger Museum (Netherlands), then traveled to the Aros Aarhus Kunstmuseum (Denmark), the Pinchuk Art Centre (Ukraine), and the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (Brasília, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil). Mori’s monumental installations have been exhibited throughout the world, including Royal Academy of Arts (London); Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), the Prada Foundation (Milan), the Brooklyn Museum of Art (New York), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, the Serpentine Gallery (London), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Her works have been in collections of The Guggenheim Museum (New York), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), the Prada Foundation, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Pinchuk Arts Centre, the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Mori has received various awards including the prestigious Menzioni d’Onore at the 47th Venice Biennale in 1997 and the 8th Annual Award as a promising Artist and Scholar in the Field of Contemporary Japanese Art in 2001 from Japan Cultural Arts Foundation.

Infinite Energy I, II, III, 2013

Fiberglass, mirror, LED, real-time control system
1900mmØ x 7800mm

Work with the support of Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo
© Mariko Mori

Heavy atoms on the earth are produced in the universe and our body is composed from those atoms. Universe is a mother of all living forms. Considering 96% of our universe is invisible energy, our beings are also most likely comprised of this invisible energy. The energy flow of life which is liberated from the concept of time-space is displayed through Infinite Energy. It is an endless renewal of invisible energy, a regenerating force for life.

Renew I, 2013

Fiberglass
868mm x 1181mm x 1890mm

Courtesy of Galerie Forsblom,Helsinki; Sean Kelly, New York; SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Tokyo
© Mariko Mori

Renew II, 2013

Fiberglass
1195mm x 1935 x 567mm

Courtesy of Galerie Forsblom,Helsinki; Sean Kelly, New York; SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Tokyo
© Mariko Mori

The sculpture series of Renew follows the möbius form. It reflects the common faith of all from the primal particles to the multi-universe. The Cyclic Model is the never-ending circulation of life and death. Every existence renews its life. There is neither beginning nor end.

Birds II, 2012

Lucite
460mm x 915mm x 340mm

Courtesy of Sean Kelly,　New York; SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Tokyo
© Mariko Mori

Love Birds, a pair of fulfilled souls
a song of peace, a gift of love

Ālaya, 2013

Animation, 2"30

© Mariko Mori

Butterfly 2013

Polyurethane
1000mm x 633mm x 400mm

Courtesy of Sean Kelly,　New York; SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Tokyo
© Mariko Mori

The Möbius form symbolizes the life cycle. Life and death repeats and continues like the infinite loop of Möbius band.
This sculpture is a maquette of the stage set for the opera,Madama Butterfly, Teatro La Fenice as a special project of La Biennale di Venezia. In despair over unrequited love, Madame Butterfly decides to take her own life. This sculpture, though, alludes not to her physical death, but to the fate of her spirit that will come to life once again.