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Aiko MIYANAGA: dwelling in a boat
Reviews
Written by Satoshi KOGANEZAWA   
Published: June 08 2009

     This year, we have more opportunities to see works created by Aiko Miyanaga than ever before, for example “The 3rd Shiseido art egg: Aiko Miyanaga” (Shiseido Gallery, 9/Jan/2009-1/Feb/2009) and “Artist File 2009” (The National Art Center, Tokyo, 4/Mar/2009-6/May/2009). Recently, I visited her first solo exhibition entitled, “dwelling in a boat” (Mizuma Art Gallery, 22/Apr/2009-23/May/2009).

”dwelling in a boat" (2009); naphthalene, Mixed media Photo: Kei MIYAJIMA, courtecy the artist and Mizuma Art Gallery, copy right(c) Aiko MIYANAGA

     In the dark exhibition hall, I found there was a storage box which resembled a treasure box that might be hidden in a small secret room in an old residence. Viewers could see inside the box through gashes on the top and through the narrow opening of the box. There were many things inside the box, which seemed to be a treasury for children. There was a rabbit doll, wooden blocks and a wooden case, which were all created by using naphthalene, a material that is characteristic of Miyanaga’s works. In contrast to the appearance of the box, which had a somewhat overly dramatic image, her creations shining inside the dark box evoked a sensitive image because of their extremely small size. Since viewers are not usually allowed to touch her works, which are valuable items, I just looked inside the box, which remained slightly open.
     Therefore, I was very surprised when I noticed that we were permitted to open the storage box ourselves. Although, at the entrance of the exhibition hall, there was a small sign saying “Please come close to the box and open it slowly”, I had not seen it and only found out about it later when I read the caption of the work. The naphthalene crystals, which were used to make her works, collapsed by absorbing air when the box was opened by viewers, and then they regenerated slowly. This process gave a significant meaning to the work, but it was a meaning I did not fully understand.

”dwelling in a boat" (2009); naphthalene, Mixed media Photo: Kei MIYAJIMA, courtecy the artist and Mizuma Art Gallery, copy right(c) Aiko MIYANAGA

     I should also say that I am not sure that this notice, announcing that viewers could open the box, was shown clearly enough to viewers. I think this sign would have had significance only if it had been shown to us before we looked at the work, since the work could only be touched by viewers if they had noticed the sign, and if they did not open the box themselves, Miyanaga could not convey the core meaning of the work to viewers. If she had considered the viewers’ act of “opening the box” to be an important factor of the work, something like a large sign board should have been put next to the work, shouldn’t it?

     Let me confess my understanding of this work. At first, I did not know that we could open the box ourselves, which made me presume that Miyanaga aimed to spark viewers’ imagination by preventing them from looking inside the work properly. In other words, I considered that a work, which could be seen only from a narrow perspective, evoked for viewers a desire “to look” at the work and made a deep impression because in fact it was not possible to see the whole work. Therefore, I thought, if Miyanaga had allowed us to open the wooden box, we would have discovered that it just contained works, such as a chair, which had been created from naphthalene Such our discovery showed that this work was a “spoiler”. Nevertheless, this must be an incorrect interpretation of the work. And also, for Miyanaga, this would be an unsatisfactory way of viewing the work, since it would not allow the collapse and regeneration of the naphthalene, which is a significant element of the meaning of this work. So, to what extent should we understand the concept of works before we see them?

     Now, I would like to show how interpreting works wrongly can actually have a positive result. We usually hear about the reputation of works, which themselves have no voice. Therefore, it may be important for artists and galleries to prevent or to try to prevent as far as possible discussion of artistic works from being heard by viewers before they see the works themselves. In interpreting a work wrongly, I find an interesting aspect of art as a form of optical media. Thus, my experience in this exhibition will be unforgettable, even though my interpretation of Miyanaga’s work was different from the one she may have hoped for.
(Translated by Nozomi Nakayama)

Last Updated on July 05 2010
 

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