April 12 "Oneness" exhibition by Mariko Mori opened in the PinchukArtCentre

Introducing the top-notch world artists to Ukraine, the PinchukArtCentre presented a solo exhibition of Mariko Mori, one of the most seminal artists coming out of Japan in last fifty years. It has been the first exhibition of her works in the Central and Eastern Europe ever. The exhibition showcases works created during last 15 years: staged photography, 3-D video and installations. Among them, probably the most notable are Wave UFO (1999-2002), Oneness (2003), Transcirle (2004) and Tom NA H-IU (2005-2006). Also, some Mariko Mori's videos will be displayed in the PinchukArtCentre's video-lounge (5th floor). Exhibition's on the view April 12 through June 15.

"Oneness" exhibition was named after a piece of art created by Mori after the terrorist attack 11/09 in the NYC. It's an interactive installation with 6 aliens of 1 meter of height standing in the circle and holding their hands. It conveys the idea of openness and overcoming the fear before unknown, which takes not only courage but also sense of humor since visitors have to hold the alien to see his eyes blinking and hear his hear beating. It is a metaphor of society's attitude towards the outcasts and it basically calls to overcome the stiffness and prejudice.

Since the time of her first solo exhibition in 1992 Mariko Mori makes use of elements from both Japanese and Western art history, which she then combines with influences from modern popular culture, design, fashion, music, manga, and science fiction. Mori presented photos and videos as a kind of fashionable stylized spiritual entity. Floating above water or in a cave, she seems to wish to lead the viewer along the path to enlightenment. Influenced by Japanese religions such as Shinto and Buddhism, and motivated by the renewed Western quest for spirituality, Mori also realized several striking installations, thus marking a new phase in her artistic profession.

The main idea of the exhibition according to Mariko Mori is "through art, science and technology to find out a universal language, which is comprehensible to everyone, and make it possible to feel oneself as one with each other, nature, Earth and entire universe. Because we all once were united and only development of civilization separated us by establishing linguistic, geographical and social barriers".

"Mariko Mori's art is about love, ties between people, and ties between civilizations. This is a unique artist because she integrates ideas and feelings. She brings eastern and western culture together. She merges very traditional with ultramodern", said Victor Pinchuk, the PinchukArtCentre's founder, - "We want to introduce to Ukrainian public the most interesting currents and tendencies in the world contemporary art, as well as its brightest representatives".

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