Tatsuo Miyajima
28 Feb—13 Mar 2021

Tatsuo Miyajima

28 Feb—13 Mar 2021
Buchmann Box
Press release

Tatsuo Miyajima (*1957) is one of Japan‘s most important sculptors and installation artists. In his œuvre, the artist – who became known primarily for his works using digital light diodes (LED) – is concerned with concepts of time, its (non-) calculability and its cultural and existential dimension.

 

One important component of the works is counting and sequences of numbers. These numbers, appearing in continuous and recurrent - although not necessarily consecutive - cycles from 1 to 9, represent the journey of life until death, whose finality is symbolized by ‚0‘ or the zero point. Consequently, this never appears in the artist‘s work.

Rich in associations is the wall piece Counter Object - 000, a huge figure made of colored mirror glass. Periodically a different number is randomly installed by using a special dice. The mirror is highly symbolic. It makes us realize that in the appearance of reality, we only reflect ourselves. We see the laws of nature only through our current scientific models. Miyajima shows us the limitations of this system: there are only 9 digits to capture an infinite, intangible reality. What we see is only a small section of time.

Every number in the two paintings on kimono sode from 1884 represents a moment in the counting cycle from 9 to 1. The empty space in the potentially infinite sequence of numbers represents the figure zero, which does not appear in Miyajima’s work.

The three works attempt to grasp moments in cycles of innumerable counts. They are excerpts from a broader context, from innumerable moments in time and for Tatsuo Miyajima they visualize life.

Important works by the artist can be found in collections including the Tate Gallery London, the Bavarian State Collection of Painting Munich, La Caixa Barcelona, the Deste Foundation in Athens, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Leeum Seoul, Kunstmuseum Bern, and M+ in Hong Kong.

 

Recent solo exhibitions were held at:

2020 Chiba City Museum of Art, Japan
2019 Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara
         EMMA - Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo, Finland
         Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai
2016 Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney

 

Please feel free to contact the gallery for any further information about the artist or images of the works.

Tatsuo Miyajima

Born 1957 in Tokyo. Lives and works in Ibaraki, Japan.

 

2012 - 2016 Kyoto University of Art & Design Vice President

2006 - 2016 Tohoku University of Art & Design Vice President

Education
1986 Completed postgraduate studies at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (M.A.)
1984 Graduated from Oil Painting Course, Fine Arts Department, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (B.A.)
Grants and Awards
1998 London Institute honorary doctorate
1993 Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris
1990–1991 DAAD Scholarship Berliner Kunstprogramm Berlin,
1990 ACC - Asian Cultural Council, New York

Solo Exhibitions

2023
2020
2018
2017
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1983

Group Exhibitions

2023
2022
2021
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
1981
1980
Selected Collections

National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan

Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan

Museum of Modern Art, Shiga, Japan

Nagoya City Art Museum, Nagoya, Japan

Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan

Panasonic Museum in Osaka, Japan

FARET Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan

TV Asahi building, Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Opera City, Tokyo, Japan

Chiba City Museum, Chiba, Japan

Group Home Sala in Florence Village, Akita, Japan

The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan

Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, Japan

Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi, Japan

Saitama Prefectural University, Saitama, Japan

Izumi City Plaza, Osaka, Japan

Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum, Kagawa, Japan

Iwaki City Art Museum, Fukushima, Japan

Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan

 

M+ Museum, Hong Kong

Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan

Samsung Cultural Foundation, Seoul, Korea

Leeum, Samsung Museum, Seoul, Korea

Chinese Telecom, Taipei, China

 

Tate Gallery, London, UK

The British Museum, London, UK

Deste Foundation for Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece

Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, France

Kunstmuseum Bern, Bern, Switzerland

Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Switzerland

Université de Genève, Switzerland

La Caixa, Barcelona, Spain

Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany

Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Germany

Fondazione TESECO per l'Arte, Pisa, Italy

Chateau La Coste, Aix-en-Provence, France  

 

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, U.S.A.

Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, U.S.A.

Dallas Museum of Art, U.S.A.

Denver Art Museum, Denver, U.S.A.

Dannheisser Foundation, New York, U.S.A.

National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada

Oakville Galleries, Oakville, Canada

Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia

Other Projects
2005 ARTISTS SUMMIT, KYOTO, Kyoto University of Art and Design, Kyoto, Japan
2002 Collaboration with SOPHNET (fashion design brand) 2002 A/W Collection Tokyo
1000 Real Life Project - Death Clock, Tokyo
2000 Floating Time - Hospice Project, Sotoasahikawa Hospital, Akita
1998 Portfolio for The Edge of Awareness
1995 Portfolio for 4. Uluslararasi Istanbul Bienali-ORIENT / ATION
1994 Mirror, multiple, Spiral, Tokyo
1993 Over Economy, acrylic, pencil on bank note \10,000
1992 Project for PARKETT
1984 Time Funeral, record jacket, SMS Records