Takahiro Iwasaki was born in Hiroshima in 1975. After studying at the Hiroshima City University and the Edinburgh College of Art, he has actively participated in numerous exhibitions, both in and out of Japan, while being based out of Hiroshima. He is a distinguished young artist who has recently participated in: “Roppongi Crossing” (2007, Mori Art Museum), “Happiness in Everyday Life” (2008, Art Tower Mito), The 10th Biennale de Lyon Museum of Contemporary Art “The Spectacle of the Everyday” (2009), and “EVERYDAY(S)” (2010, Casino Luxembourg). Iwasaki’s solo project was selected for the Art Statements of Art Basel this June, and his numerous installations themed around various time axes, such as a piece that captured the Byodo-in temple in a single moment of reflection on a pond’s surface, caught the attention of many. Iwasaki will also be holding a large-scale solo exhibition at the Nassauischer Kunstverein Wiesbaden in Germany next year.

For his first solo exhibition at ARATANIURANO, Iwasaki has chosen two keywords: “phenotype” and “remodeling”. “Phenotype” is a biology term meaning “the observable characteristics of an organism, as determined by both genetic makeup and environmental influences”. “Remodeling” can be used to mean “incomplete repair” under medical terminology. Using these keywords, he extracts information held by daily commodities that fill our lives, and presents installations that reconstruct cities as if setting up plastic models.

As Iwasaki says, “I treat the information left by daily commodities and the materials used in their composition as genetic factors. I select one part of it, break it down, and reconstruct it to make one model”. His pieces create remodeled miniatures of cities and nature using daily commodities that have become integrated in our everyday lives to the extent that time is usually not taken to scrutinize them. For example, towers are built from threads taken from towels, scarves, and socks; cranes are birthed from threads taken from bookmarks; telephone poles are created with mechanical pencil lead; and mountain ranges emerge from carved erasers. These elaborate pieces made from extremely delicate materials seem as though they will fall apart with the slightest touch. Viewers can sense not only airiness and humor, but also fragility, ephemeral beauty, and the memories of the materials themselves. These pieces seem to capture the scenery of our lives and the face of society.The tension birthed from the gap between Iwazaki’s miniaturized and reconstructed modeled world and the world that we are used to seeing magnetically attracts viewer’s eyes and provides amazement and discovery.