Aranya Art Center is pleased to present Japanese artist Yuko Mohri's first solo museum exhibition in China, featuring a series of photographs, a newly commissioned indoor installation and a group of outdoor sound sculptures. Moré and Moré is the artist's first large-scale presentation in China, following the inauguration of the Japan Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, which has embraced international acclaim and attention.
Yuko Mohri deciphers formal differences among objects of similar functional use across cultures and regions. The newly commissioned installation Moré Moré (Leaky): Variations is inspired by Mohri's observation of water leaks in Tokyo's subway stations. Starting in 2009, she has been intrigued by the subway staff’s witty implementation of such objects as buckets, tarps, and umbrellas to mitigate infrastructural failure. In Japan, where earthquakes are rather common, these ad hoc responses to smaller crises also reflect the agency and creative potential of ordinary individuals. Taking it as a point of departure, the artist intentionally constructs small-scale crises and corresponding repair mechanisms in her installations. The trickling water and quivering hose, both witty and unsettling, serve as metaphors for social and ecological dilemmas while underscoring the human presence.
Through the process of re-assemblage, Mohri also narrates stories about the circulation of local and foreign day-to-day products. Her appropriation of the ready-mades encourages viewers to deliberate over their utilization in regard to the use of mass produced goods.
Moré and Moré is organized by Damien Zhang, Director of the Aranya Art Center, and Curatorial Assistant Gao Liangjiao. The exhibition is on view from July 14 through October 13, 2024.
This exhibition is supported by the Japan Foundation, Beijing.
Chen Ruofan
Botanical Bank: 54 Objects Transplanted
2023
Stainless steel, LED, video
400 × 400 × 400 cm
55:92 min.
Commissioned and produced by aranya plein air art project 2023
Installation view, aranya plein air art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of aranya plein air art project
Haegue Yang
Migratory DMZ Birds on Asymmetric Lens - Duiitt Duiitt Vessel (Gray-Backed Thrush)
2020
Soapstone, 3D printed resin
158 × 89 × 147 cm
Installation view, aranya plein art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of the artist, Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
and aranya plein air art project
Robert Mapplethorpe
Self Portrait
1981
Silver gelatin print
58.5 × 61 × 3.2 cm (framed)
Installation view, aranya plein air art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of aranya plein air art project
© Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.
Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London · Paris · Salzburg · Seoul
Christine Sun Kim
A Permanent Tourist In A Foreign Language
2023
Inkjet printing on stainless-steel sign post
225 × 150 cm × 7 parts
Commissioned and produced by aranya plein air art project 2023
Installation view, aranya plein air art project
July 7th to October 29th, 2023
Photography Sun Shi
Courtesy of aranya plein air art project