Aiko Miyanaga “Sohou”
I visited Aiko Miyanaga’s solo exhibition “Sohou” at Takamatsu Art Museum.
Taking as its theme the landscapes of the Seto Inland Sea and the accumulated time of the people who have lived there, the exhibition featured signature series such as “Letters” and “life,” alongside a new installation using “Sanukite” — a stone that rings with a clear, pure tone.
Aiko Miyanaga is renowned for works that use naphthalene as their material.
Many of her signature pieces were on view in this exhibition.
Displayed in dimly lit rooms, the ice-like works felt fitting for a summer exhibition, offering a sense of coolness.
I was able to speak with Aiko Miyanaga at the venue.
The white motifs shaped inside the transparent resin are made of naphthalene crystals.
The chair work below has a small hole in its back, sealed with the exhibition’s caption sticker.
Once the sticker is peeled off, the crystallized naphthalene sublimates, the white motifs gradually vanish, and only the resin case remains. In other words, these motifs change with the passage of time.
New Installation
The second half of the exhibition features a new installation using “Sanukite,” the famed stone of the Sanuki region.
Sanukite is also called “kankan-ishi” because it rings with a beautiful, clear, high tone when struck.
Going forward, this is likely to be a work shown only in Takamatsu, where the stone is quarried.
The exhibition title “Sohou” means “how to row a boat.”
The society around us has entered an age of ceaseless, turbulent change.
Feeling the Seto Inland Sea just outside the venue, I found the time stretching on — layering my own life over it, letting my thoughts drift.
