Kazushi Nakada: My archaeology : Special Exhibition @ DAIKANYAMA T-SITE anjin café

Kazushi Nakada, is from a famous potter’s family in Ishikawa, Japan, graduated from the Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom in 1994. He has been based in Finland and has exhibited works using glass in various parts of the world, especially, from Europe and China. Meanwhile, his recent activities have focused on complex projects using motion images and photographs. In this exhibition, we would like to introduce one of Nakada's representative art projects in recent years, the "My Archeology" project. For this project, he was inspired by the interpretation of "time" and "end" of life, in Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism and the Buddhism from his home town.

video introduction of "My archaeology" project by Nakada

Vmp conversation with K 2020 EJ from Kazushi Nakada on Vimeo.

At the beginning of the production of this project, Nakada decides the theme through dialogues with the project participants. After that, he creates an original and a copy object based on the theme of it. After he documents the process of the project, the participant buries the original object in the ground or under the bottom of the sea. Only the participants and Nakada know the location of the buried objects. They would later talk to their acquaintances or family about this project and the objects, and their stories might pass down to the next generation.　Through this project, the following three elements, the buried objects, the existing objects and photographs, and the “empirical memories" created by the participants will simultaneously advance their respective timelines toward the future.

"Conversation in Desert", gold object of grass, photo, episode, size adjustable
(The Mexican artist, who is the old friend of Nakada, goes on a trip to Morocco unexpectedly with him. She likens this accidental resumption with him in the unknown ground to a Mexican legend.)

V2020 Conversation in D from Kazushi Nakada on Vimeo.

In this exhibition, 7 artworks from the "My Archeology" project, which have been visiting in 19 regions and 16 countries since he launched this project in 2016, will be featured including few new works. While the golden glass objects on the exhibition have primitive shapes, they have somewhat nostalgic and warm atmosphere. Moreover, the photographs and the videos related to each objects enhance the realization of the episodes spoken by the strangers. The objects based on a memory of a stranger's past, which have been created in pairs and each one is buried in unknown places…. What would people guess about them when they happen to "excavate" the objects from the ground or under the sea in the future? We hope you to enjoy looking at the composite timeline of people, things, and memories of the "My Archeology" project.

"School Backpack of Kobe", ceramics, gold object of glass, photo, episode, size adjustable
(1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The elementary school teacher were surprised to find that the students who took refuge to school were laughing. The true meaning of their reaction is... )

VL2020 School backpack of Kobe from Kazushi Nakada on Vimeo.

Kazushi NAKADA CV
■Biography
-1967 Born in Ishikawa Japan
-1990 Graduated from the Tokyo Glass Art Institute, Kawasaki, Japan
-1994 Graduated from the Ceramics and Glass Department, the Royal College of Art, London, Great Britain
■Selected solo exhibition
-2019 Art project “Pink Copycat” video & photography installation. Gallery M space, Shanghai China
-2018 Art project “My archaeology", Shanghai glass museum, Shanghai China
-2006 Solo exhibition, Latvian glass center, Riga Latvia
-2006 “Infinity”, The Finnish glass museum, Riihimäki Finland
-2000 Solo exhibition, “Fragments of reality”, The Finnish glass museum, Riihimäki, Finland
■Selected group exhibition
-2016 Tianyuan International Glass Art Festival "Glass and Ice", Hebei, China
International glass exhibition / conference, Lviv, Ukraine
-2010 “25 years anniversary” Ebeltoft glass museum, Ebeltoft Denmark
-2009 “Finnish glass art” MUDAM, Luxembourg
-2008 “Finnish glass art & design”, Industrial Museum, Düsseldorf Germany
-2006 L’art du verre Finlandais, Nancy France, Coburg prize, selected artist, Coburg Germany
-2005 Global art glass triennial, Borgholm Sweden
“Vetri nel mondo oggi”, Palazzo Franchetti, Venice Italy
-2002 Tour exhibition “Finnish Vanguard in glass” Museo do vidro, Marinha Grande,
Portugal Franz Mayer Museum Mexico
-2001 The international exhibition of glass Kanazawa, selected artist, Kanazawa Japan