MIYANAGA Aiko was born in 1974, and currently lives and works in Kyoto. She gained her MA from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and MA from Kyoto University of Art and Design. Her work has been featured at “Artist File 2009” The National Art Center, Tokyo (2009), Busan Biennale, Busan (2008), “Katsuhiko Hibino / Aiko Miyanaga – INDEXLESS”, Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum, Kyoto (2004), and recent solo exhibition includes, “shiseido art egg 3” SHISEIDO GALLERY, Tokyo (2009), “Fireworks from the River-Miyanaga-Aiko” Sumida Riverside Hall Gallery, Tokyo (2007).

She is known for the work constantly changes during exhibition. For instance, everyday object casted by naphthalene is one of representative images of her work. The naphthalene object placed in the acrylic box gradually loses its figure given by Miyanaga. The change is as slow as the progress of clock hour hand and is invisible to our eye. We only recognize this alternation as a subtle presence. Although the object seems to be free from any shape and to loose its figure, it is recrystallized within the clear case and becomes visible to our eyes as a still object. We also experience the different time than that is floating in the case. What we are actually seeing is not an “object” but a “phenomenon”. The crystallized everyday life and the world might paradoxically actualize the immortality, which might be the word for the art, by losing its existence. “The trace of eternity” we see here is a theme underlying throughout Miyanaga’s work.

Miyanaga presents “time” from the various viewpoints. A chest placed in a dusky room contains the objects signify both an awakening and a sleep and waking and sleeping hours. The sleep foresees the awaking and the tranquility fluctuates in it. What do we dream here? We, who in constant change much slower than the hour hand, are also float in the time as if losing and crystallizing the figure like her work. Looking at Miyanaga’s naphthalene object, we unconsciously identify ourselves with “the trace of eternity” and take a little sleep.

* The text was provided by Mizuma Art Gallery.