Tatsuo Miyajima, “Uncertain”
I visited Tatsuo Miyajima’s solo exhibition “Uncertain.” The venue was SCAI THE BATHHOUSE.
Through the blinking of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) counting between 1 and 9, Tatsuo Miyajima has long expressed the complex relationships between life, death, and everything surrounding them. The title of this exhibition, “Uncertain,” recalls the uncertainty principle formulated by the German theoretical physicist Heisenberg.
Influenced by quantum mechanics, Miyajima came to believe that it is impossible for human beings to truly predict things, and that events always unfold according to chance — a worldview succinctly captured in this show.
Painting of Change
“Painting of Change,” Miyajima’s first-ever painting series, features digital numerals from “1 to 9” rendered on the walls in seven-segment displays.
Five works of varying sizes are arranged in the gallery, along with a specially made polyhedral die that is rolled at predetermined intervals.
Depending on the die’s result, segments of “Painting of Change” are removed or replaced, altering the numerals on the wall. Segments not in use are arranged neatly on the floor.
Unstable Time
Another series comprising this exhibition is “Unstable Time.”
LED numerals stitched onto white fabric in a variety of forms — spirals, circles, straight lines — blink on and off, each to its own rhythm.
Using fabric, a soft material that can take any shape, the work is said to change form in various ways throughout the exhibition period.
Other works on view
Works were also on view in the separate viewing room in the annex.
