PAST EXHIBITION
AUTO MOAI solo exhibition ʻ Buoy ʼ
- Dates
11.13 (Fri）~11.29（Sun）
* Closed on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
* Open on Last Sunday
- Opening Time
13:00 ～ 19:00
Over the past three years, AUTO MOAI has created countless works. This latest exhibition will be an exploration of their newest creations, and an introduction to the next chapter of AUTO MOAI’s creative journey.
AUTO MOAI has created pieces that explore themes such as anonymity and human relationships since 2015. AUTO MOAI’s pieces distill the range of emotions that a person experiences as they move through life into singular moments, allowing us to access these emotions through the femme figure (to be exact, a genderless, human-like figure).
However, in inviting us to connect with the emotionality of the piece, the identity of the femme figure is left deliberately murky ー whether the figure a depiction of the viewer, a caricature of a character in AUTO MOAI’s creative narrative, or some other element remains unclear. By leaving the positionality of the viewer unclear, the temporal and spatial composition of the piece becomes something far more deeper and complex.
In this exhibition, we will be unveiling AUTO MOAI’s newest creative ventures, including a 150cm sculpture, oil paintings and drawings.
~ About the theme of this exhibition ʻ Buoy ʼ ~
The “buoy,” AUTO MOAI explains, simultaneously symbolizes the release and attachment to the flow of time and space. AUTO MOAI adds that every buoy is deliberately positioned, tasked to fulfill its predetermined purpose. Please enjoy the creative world of AUTO MOAI.
Artist Profile
AUTO MOAI is a Japan-based artist working within the realm of anonymity. AUTO MOAI depicts the relationships between “anonymous”, “unspecifiable” people that are born on the streets through her titular faceless figures. Notable accomplishments include the solo exhibition “Permanent Boredom” (TAV GALLERY, Tokyo, 2019), the 8m sculpture at “Tacking City Nihonbashi” (Tokyo, 2019), a 300-page collection of drawings, “Endless Beginning” (Funshosha, 2018), and their latest drawing collection, “ANGEL” (PARCO Publishing, 2019), created in celebration of the reopening of Shibuya PARCO.
auto-moai.tumblr.com
instagram:auto_moai
twitter:auto_moai
AUTO MOAI has worked on a vast range of projects, including creative collaborations with fashion brands such as Supreme, NEW ERA and MOUSSY, and providing cover art design for Yuzo Kayama’s first album in 13 years (expected release date: December 2020). AUTO MOAI has extended their career internationally; their work was exhibited at Taiwan’s Mangasick (August 2020) and featured in Taiwanese culture magazine, The Affairs. AUTO MOAI will be holding the exhibition, “ANONYMOUS,” at B GALLERY (BEAMS JAPAN) this November.
Gallery Statement
‘Buoy’
A buoy in brackish waters
Meaning: to be incessantly buffeted by the waves
River water flows into the sea. Brackish water conditions occur in estuaries, where fresh water meets seawater. This environment nurtures various ecosystems, conjuring up a sense of calm. AUTO MOAI envisions a buoy in brackish waters—anchored but floating; drifting yet never intersecting.
While drifting in AUTO MOAI’s world, I imagined that easily recognizable symbols would help anchor my viewpoint like a buoy would. However, the waves that were meant to be calm in this estuary became rougher by the minute, hiding the buoy in between the waves. I started to feel dizzy, my will to stare at it while latching on to something shaken. Feeling seasick, I felt slightly confused by the casual approach I took upon entering this world.
A buoy floating on brackish water is a visual target for people, informing us of danger in the seas or marking fishing traps. However, one cannot see what is happening underwater, be it the currents, reefs, fishing nets, or aquatic animals.
One understands that the emotions swallowed by a girl, or something human-like, cannot be easily seen. The scenes and those scenes that feel familiar or like déjà vu to us represent what has been exposed, a small aspect of the many emotions that were swallowed.
Cindy Sherman’s works evoke feelings of uncertainty in the viewers’ minds by vividly representing the circumstances again and again. I found a commonality between Sherman and AUTO MOAI’s works: a conductor to uncertainty. The elements and compositions found in AUTO MOAI’s works are, just like buoys, being buffeted by the waves endlessly.
A buoy in brackish waters represents AUTO MOAI’s standing position: a confluence of conflicting elements.
CALM & PUNK GALLERY
Shinjiro Nishino
