Motoi Yamamoto "Layers of Time ‒ Into the Memories"
Yukikomizutani
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Motoi Yamamoto
YUKIKOMIZUTANI is pleased to present “Layers of Time ‒ Into the Memories” a solo exhibition by Motoi Yamamoto,from April 5 (Sat) to May 10 (Sat), 2025. This will be his second solo exhibition at the gallery, exploring the accumulationof time and the visualization of memories embedded within it.
Yamamoto has long been creating salt-based installations. In Japan, salt has traditionally been considered sacred, used in various rituals for purification and cleansing. Drawn to the mystical nature of saltʼs intricate white hues seen through transparent cubes, Yamamoto personifies it as a gentle presence that accepts human death with compassion.
The intricate floor patterns he painstakingly creates alone over long hours resemble the mandala rituals found in spiritual traditions that use sand painting as a meditative practice. However, his works contain deeply personal prayers and his unique response to questions of life and death, shaped by his own past experiences. The spiral patterns in his work represent the unending continuation of these thoughts, symbolizing rebirth, regeneration, and eternity.
A defining characteristic of his work is its impermanence—his installations are always dismantled and returned to thesea on the final day of the exhibition. This act, known as the “Return to the Sea Project,” has involved thousands ofparticipants over the years, offering visitors an opportunity to actively engage in the installation and contemplate theephemeral cycle of life.
This exhibition will feature Yamamotoʼs signature salt installations, as well as gold-leaf paintings that use gold—a material symbolizing eternity across cultures—to express the accumulation of time. Additionally, his resin-encased plant series, which he has been creating since the mid-1990s, will highlight layers of memory.
Time itself is invisible, yet it accumulates, leaving behind traces.
Within the serene space of layered time and floating fragments of memory, viewers will find themselves travelingbetween past and present, embarking on a journey through recollection.
Yamamoto has long been creating salt-based installations. In Japan, salt has traditionally been considered sacred, used in various rituals for purification and cleansing. Drawn to the mystical nature of saltʼs intricate white hues seen through transparent cubes, Yamamoto personifies it as a gentle presence that accepts human death with compassion.
The intricate floor patterns he painstakingly creates alone over long hours resemble the mandala rituals found in spiritual traditions that use sand painting as a meditative practice. However, his works contain deeply personal prayers and his unique response to questions of life and death, shaped by his own past experiences. The spiral patterns in his work represent the unending continuation of these thoughts, symbolizing rebirth, regeneration, and eternity.
A defining characteristic of his work is its impermanence—his installations are always dismantled and returned to thesea on the final day of the exhibition. This act, known as the “Return to the Sea Project,” has involved thousands ofparticipants over the years, offering visitors an opportunity to actively engage in the installation and contemplate theephemeral cycle of life.
This exhibition will feature Yamamotoʼs signature salt installations, as well as gold-leaf paintings that use gold—a material symbolizing eternity across cultures—to express the accumulation of time. Additionally, his resin-encased plant series, which he has been creating since the mid-1990s, will highlight layers of memory.
Time itself is invisible, yet it accumulates, leaving behind traces.
Within the serene space of layered time and floating fragments of memory, viewers will find themselves travelingbetween past and present, embarking on a journey through recollection.
Schedule | Apr 5 (Sat) 2025-May 10 (Sat) 2025 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception Apr 5 (Sat) 2025 17:00 - 19:00 | ||||
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://yukikomizutani.com/exhibitions/山本基 「時の積層」-記憶へ/ | ||||
| Venue | Yukikomizutani https://yukikomizutani.com/ | ||||
| Location | 1F Terrada Art Complex II, 1-32-8 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0002 | ||||
| Access | 7 minute walk from exit B at Tennozu Isle Station on the Rinkai line, 8 minute walk from the South exit of Tennozu Isle Station on the Tokyo Monorail line, 9 minute walk from the North exit of Shimbamba Station on the Keikyu line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-6810-3885 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it  |
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