"11.186km/s (OK)" Saori Suzuki, Junsuke Nakamura August 2012, 8 - August 20, 2012
Venue: Art Gallery T+
Date: December 2012, 8 - January 20, 2012
Exhibitor:
Saori Suzuki (2nd year master's student in the Japanese painting field, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences)
Junsuke Nakamura (OB of the Faculty of Art and Design, Department of Japanese Painting)
Upa Upa
I am Upa
Upa Upa
You too, Upa
Upa Upa
Inside the water
Upa Upa
Where is the food?
Upa Upa
The sun is
Upa Upa
I hate it
Upa Upa
(Dialogue)
"That's right, in the end, gravity is the shadow of God, Upa.""That is a sin that will haunt humanity wherever it goes, Upa."
T+review
This exhibition by Saori Suzuki and Junnosuke Nakamura was well worth delving into. I wasn't able to understand everything, but I'd like to summarize at least what I noticed.
First of all, the exhibition mainly consists of several Japanese paintings. There was also a board with a poem written on it and several small metal plates reminiscent of torii gates. The paintings include utility poles, pylons, axolotls, and a blue bottle with a withered plant stuck in it. Each motif, except for the pylons, is paired with two pieces of artwork, each with a different angle and positioning. The pylon painting has a metal decoration on top reminiscent of a shrine.
The first thing that caught my eye when I entered was a board with a poem between two pictures of axolotls. The poem describes the axolotls searching for food in the dim water, with the light-hearted onomatopoeia "upa-upa". However, in the last paragraph,
"That's right, in the end, gravity is the shadow of God, Upa."
"That is a sin that will haunt humanity wherever it goes, Upa."
A meaningful line appears. Gravity... the shadow of God... the sin that haunts humanity... Speaking of the sins of God and humanity, it brings to mind the Christian concept of "original sin." It is the idea that humanity is born with sin because Adam and Eve broke God's command. Is this a satire of humanity, who are controlled by gravity from birth?
By the way, what does the number in the title mean? I wondered and looked it up, and found out it is "second cosmic velocity." Apparently, when an object moves at a speed faster than about 11.186km/s, it can escape the gravity of the Earth. It is also called "escape velocity" because it means escaping the gravitational field of the Earth. It seems that this exhibition is deeply related to "gravity."
Let's take a look at the motifs that focus on their relationship with gravity. The steel towers and utility poles reach upward as if defying gravity. And the electric wires that extend from their tips are pulled by gravity, yet float without touching the ground. The withered grass cannot defy gravity on its own, but it is supported by the bottle and points upward. However, none of them can ever escape the gravitational sphere of the Earth. The same is true of the two axolotls. Living quietly in the dark, they enlighten us about the relationship between gravity and humanity. Perhaps they are incarnations of the two exhibitors...?
Various thoughts floated in my mind, then disappeared, and swirled around. It was such a mysterious exhibition. (Kenta Tamaya)
