Four selected works on paper from the series “Philosophies of Dirt” as well as one pigment installation are included in the group show “Unknown Histories: Eternal” opening today at Waseda Scott Hall Gallery. This is the fourth in a series of exhibitions curated by artist and archivist Chika Kato which investigates the multiplicity of history since March 11th. The exhibition is dynamic and each artist addresses history in their own poetic way, some focusing directly on the disaster of 2011 and others addressing issues of memory.
I have been reflecting on these works while considering which ones are most appropriate for this exhibit and discovered the places where the dirt was collected have changed significantly this year. My father’s house is now sold and this faint dirt drawing is one of the only traces I have of the ground where my family spent so much time. Also the story of the fight to save La‘au Point on Molokai‘i Island has recently been published.
I will speak about these drawings and the philosophy of dirt during a TALK EVENT together with guest Michio Hayashi (Art Critic, Sophia University) on Saturday, August 24th at 4pm. There will be an opening reception afterwards commencing at 6pm. The exhibition is open until September 4th for more information and directions to the venue at Waseda please see this link HERE.
Also I am pleased to announce that the second edition of the catalog “James Jack: Philosophies of Dirt” has just been published. The first edition sold out early this year and it is a pleasure to have completed this edition just before Satoshi Koyama Gallery prepares to move to Singapore in September. The content is 99% the same as the first edition with just one new artwork featured and some slight adjustments to the Japanese text font by Brandon Shimoda. This is a wonderful way to appreciate the artworks in the intimate book format. For orders outside Japan please send an email on the contact section of this website HERE or for orders in Japan please order directly from the gallery HERE.