Connecting Life, Death & Rebirth

A Tokyo-born artist living in London and New York City, Mariko Mori is regularly described in terms and phrases such as “internationally acclaimed” and “one of the most important artists of our time”. Her work explores big, interconnected ideas: the balance inherent in the universe, the cyclical pattern of nature, the relevance of ancient ritual.

Mori is bringing to our fair city an installation exhibition called Rebirth,  part of the 2015 Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF), in partnership with the Perth Festival. A first for Australia, the solo exhibition work has been revised for its Western Australian showing. In it, Mori explores concepts using glowing LED sculptures, drawings, videos, photographs and light. “Nature has a circulation of life, death, rebirth,” Mori explains. “I wanted to introduce this pre-historical idea, which connects humans and nature.”

Mori has a fascination for ancient rituals and symbols, which she explores through quite an intense use of technology, the main medium of her art, and while it might seem counter-intuitive to connect with ancient concepts using very modern mediums, Mori insists the opposite is true. “I feel it is relevant to learn ancient cultures and pass the knowledge down to future generations. The new technology extends vocabulary to express those ideas. It is very possible to connect ancient concepts using advanced technology, as technology is a tool.”

Before moving from Tokyo to London in 1988 to study art Mori had begun a career in fashion. She designed costumes in sculpture classes and began incorporating advertising and media aesthetics into her art. Her first pieces were kitsch self-portraits – glittery and garish ‘90s pop art that quickly attracted the attention of the art world.

From there she experimented with video, performance and installation art, incorporating high fashion, pop art, religion and music to explore themes of interconnection and balance.

She’s visited Australia once before, in 2000. “I spent three days in Australia with Aboriginal people in the bush in Alice Springs. It was a mind-opening experience, where I witnessed how beautifully human beings are coexisting with nature, with great sense of respect for nature.”

Mori describes this balance and coexistence with nature as an almost novel experience, but insists the perceived inbalance is only an illusion. “The truth is everything exists in balance, like a universe, but what we are actually projecting in the modern world is unbalance.”