Tatsuo Kawaguchi “When a Seed Becomes Art”
session：2020.1.10 Fri. - 2.8 Sat. 13:00 - 19:00
opening Reception: 2019.1.10 Fri 18:00-20:00
＊closed on Sun, Mon, Tue and public holidays.
venue： SNOW Contemporary
Artist Statement - excerpt from "Reconsideration: Seed, Art, and Cosmos"
On April 26th, 1986, the Chernobyl Disaster occurred and brought the entire globe into terror. 25 years later on March 11th, 2011, unfortunately, another nuclear accident occurred in our nation and caused serious radiation leakage. After the Chernobyl Disaster, I immediately collected seeds of various vegetables, fruits, and flowers that were available at that time, and sealed them with lead.
Although this practice of covering seeds with lead represented a metaphor of protecting the seeds from radiation leakage, it was also an act of blocking the seeds to be directly seen, which resulted in shutting out visual experiences. If the act of seeing was considered the most crucial element in formative art, the shut-off of vision could be misunderstood as neglecting it.
However, if one would define the nature of formative art was to make invisible elements to become perceivable, the practice of covering seeds with lead may shut out visual perception but could also other invisible sentiments to be noticed. In that case, in terms that the viewer could sense the seeds without visually seeing them, this may prove that the covered seeds have succeeded in building a relationship with the sphere of formative arts and have shown their potential of establishing their existence as art. At the same time, when seen from the point of view of the seeds, the practice of covering them with lead would not only block them from visual sight but also from external space and time. In other words, their existence will continue in a time-axis isolated from reality. This will make them become freed from metamorphoses, as though they have acquired eternity. This could be another reasoning for mentioning their relationship with art. Or perhaps, one could say the seeds have acquired another time-axis shared between itself and art by building their relationship with art. In that case, the seeds would own a time-axis that is completely different from the one it had originally owned.
The cosmos does exist. We are surely existing somewhere in that cosmos. But the existence of art may be different from that; art can only exist by being created. Maybe art is something that cannot continue its existence without being continuously created.
Art has a relationship with the cosmos. But when seen from the point of view of the cosmos, it could be that it has nothing to do with art.
November 7th, 2019
session：2020.1.10 Fri. - 2.8 Sat. 13:00 - 19:00
opening Reception: 2019.1.10 Fri 18:00-20:00
＊closed on Sun, Mon, Tue and public holidays.
venue： SNOW Contemporary
Artist Statement - excerpt from "Reconsideration: Seed, Art, and Cosmos"
On April 26th, 1986, the Chernobyl Disaster occurred and brought the entire globe into terror. 25 years later on March 11th, 2011, unfortunately, another nuclear accident occurred in our nation and caused serious radiation leakage. After the Chernobyl Disaster, I immediately collected seeds of various vegetables, fruits, and flowers that were available at that time, and sealed them with lead.
Although this practice of covering seeds with lead represented a metaphor of protecting the seeds from radiation leakage, it was also an act of blocking the seeds to be directly seen, which resulted in shutting out visual experiences. If the act of seeing was considered the most crucial element in formative art, the shut-off of vision could be misunderstood as neglecting it.
However, if one would define the nature of formative art was to make invisible elements to become perceivable, the practice of covering seeds with lead may shut out visual perception but could also other invisible sentiments to be noticed. In that case, in terms that the viewer could sense the seeds without visually seeing them, this may prove that the covered seeds have succeeded in building a relationship with the sphere of formative arts and have shown their potential of establishing their existence as art. At the same time, when seen from the point of view of the seeds, the practice of covering them with lead would not only block them from visual sight but also from external space and time. In other words, their existence will continue in a time-axis isolated from reality. This will make them become freed from metamorphoses, as though they have acquired eternity. This could be another reasoning for mentioning their relationship with art. Or perhaps, one could say the seeds have acquired another time-axis shared between itself and art by building their relationship with art. In that case, the seeds would own a time-axis that is completely different from the one it had originally owned.
The cosmos does exist. We are surely existing somewhere in that cosmos. But the existence of art may be different from that; art can only exist by being created. Maybe art is something that cannot continue its existence without being continuously created.
Art has a relationship with the cosmos. But when seen from the point of view of the cosmos, it could be that it has nothing to do with art.
November 7th, 2019
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