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Biography
Yuko MOHRI
B. 1980 in Kanagawa, Japan. Lives and works in Tokyo.
Mohri is an installation artist who recasts reconfigured everyday items and machine parts collected in cities around the world into self-contained ‘ecosystems,’ channelling and conducting intangible energies such as magnetism, gravity, temperature and light.
With an artistic background in new-media art, Mohri’s practice engages with circuits and connectivity. She states that: ‘I prefer gravity, magnetism, light, and wind to control my work.’ Mohri positions forces such as gravity and electricity as otherworldly and unpredictable, and her installations insist on the powers of the nonhuman and the uncontrollable. The artist establishes her systems and then steps back, relinquishing her agency—her circuits are left to their own devices.
In sound-based assemblages, Mohri’s approach has alluded to experimental artists Erik Satie, Marcel Duchamp and John Cage, particularly through their relationship to chance. Mohri brings contingency and improvisation into her installations, aiming to capture the appearance of the world and human essence through the eyes of new materialism. Her kinetic sculptures can be observed through the keywords such as coincidences (what happened by chance), errors (what should not have happened), portents (what might happen) and silence (what did not happen?). In recent years, she also works on video and photography using scanner, through these ideas.
In 2015, Mohri received a grant from the Asian Cultural Council for a 6-month residency in New York. In the same year, she received Grand Prix, Nissan Art Award. In 2016, Mohri has undertaken a residency with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and had in residence at Camden Arts Centre, London. In 2018, Mohri, as East Asian Cultural Exchange Envoy, visited 4 cities in China.
Mohri’s recent solo exhibitions include: SP., Ginza Sony Park, Tokyo, Japan (2020); Yuko Mohri: Assume That There Is Friction and Resistance, Towada Art Center, Aomori, Japan (2018); Voluta, Camden Arts Centre, London (2018); Dissémination, The National Museum of Modern Art Kyoto, Japan (2018); and her work has been included in group exhibitions such as: The 5th Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art: Immortality, Ekaterinburg, Russia (2019); Weavers of Worlds: A Century of Flux in Japanese Modern / Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2019); The 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, Australia (2018); Childhood, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2018); Rehearsal, Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong (2018); Going Away Closer, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifred Lam, Havana (2018); Japanorama: New Vision on Art since 1970, Centre Pompidou-Metz (2017); 14th Biennale de Lyon (2017); Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016, Kochi, India (2016) etc. Her works are in the collections of Centre Pompidou, Paris; M+, Hong Kong; Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon; Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo; The National Museum of Modern Art Kyoto; Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia etc.
Curriculum Vitae
Selected Solo and Two-person Exhibitions
- 2021
- Sept. Atelier Nord, Oslo, Norway (forthcoming)
- ──
- Sept. Japan House São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (forthcoming)
- ──
- Apr. Project Fulfill Art Space, Taipei, Taiwan (forthcoming)
- 2020
- Aug. “Nissan Art Award Collection,” Nissan Gallery Global Headquarters, Kanagawa, Japan [two-person exhibition with Yuichiro Tamura]
- ──
- July “SP. by Yuko Mohri,” Ginza Sony Park, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- Jan. “Condo London 2020: mother’s tankstation London hosting Château Shatto,” mother’s tankstation, London, UK [two-person exhibition with Zeinab Saleh]
- 2019
- Sept. “slower than slowly,” mother’s tankstation, Dublin, Ireland
- ──
- July “summer rains,” SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Tokyo, Japan [two-person exhibition with David Horvitz]
- ──
- Apr. “Matsutake Gallery Presents Yuko Mohri,” Yvon Lambert Bookshop, Paris, France
- ──
- Apr. “Moré Moré (Leaky): Cabinet,” Geidai Shokudo Show Case, Ibaraki, Japan
- 2018
- Nov. “Assume That There Is Friction and Resistance,” Towada Art Center, Aomori, Japan
- ──
- Sept. “Same As It Ever Was,” Project Fulfill Art Space, Taipei, Taiwan
- ──
- July “Voluta,” Camden Arts Centre, London, United Kingdom
- ──
- Jan. “Curatorial Studies 12: The 100th Anniversary of Duchamp’s Fountain, Case 5: Dissémination,” The National Museum of Modern Art Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan [guest curation]
- 2017
- Dec. “Grey Skies,” Fujisawa City Art Space, Kanagawa, Japan
- ──
- Feb. “Moré Moré (Leaky),” White Rainbow, London, United Kingdom
- 2016
- Nov. “Form of the Daze,” Jane Lombard Gallery, New York, NY, United States
- ──
- June “Circus without Circus,” Project Fulfill Art Space, Taipei, Taiwan
- ──
- Apr. “Pleated Image,” waitingroom, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- Mar. “The Beginnings (or Open-ended)” [2nd period], Potluck Building Gallery, Nagoya, Japan [two-person exhibition with Peter Fischli & David Weiss]
- ──
- Oct. “The Beginnings (or Open-ended),” Potluck Building Gallery, Nagoya, Japan [two-person exhibition with Peter Fischli & David Weiss]
- ──
- Oct. “Observation of the Senses,” Asahi Art Square, Tokyo, Japan
- 2013
- Dec. “Ribbon / Reborn,” Musashino Place, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- Nov. “Sauvage – Wild in the City,” Art Center Ongoing, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- July “Tokai Polyrhythm,” Kawaguchi Media Seven, Saitama, Japan
- ──
- May “Show Case,” Baus Theater, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- Feb. “Orochi,” Gallery waitingroom, Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions, Tokyo, Japan
- 2012
- May “Circus,” Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- Apr. “Circuits,” adanda Gallery, Osaka, Japan
- ──
- Feb. “Circles,” Gallery waitingroom, Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- Feb. “Circles,” Agencia de Apoyo a la Arquitectura, Barcelona, Spain
Selected Group Exhibitions
- 2021
- Sept. “34th Bienal de São Paulo: Though It’s Dark, Still I Sing” Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, São Paulo, Brazil (forthcoming)
- ──
- June “Glasgow international 2020: Attention,” The Pyramid at Anderston, Glasgow, United Kingdom (forthcoming)
- ──
- Feb. Theatre for All, online (https://theatreforall.net/movie/io/)
- 2020
- Dec. From the Mundane World, He Art Museum, Shunde, Guangdong, China
- ──
- Dec. Dawn Light: Project Fulfill in Focus, Project Fulfill Art Space, Taipei, Taiwan
- ──
- Dec. Inside the Collector’s Vault, vol.1, WHAT, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- Nov. “Vento [Wind],” Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, São Paulo, Brazil
- ──
- Sept. “Apparation: Intermedia Art 2020,” The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- May “Dark Independent” not open to the public
- ──
- Apr. “Glasgow international 2020: Gi Digital Programme,” online (https://glasgowinternational.org/)
- ──
- Feb. “Where We Now Stand—In Order to Map the Future” (phase 2), 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
- 2019
- Dec. “Inter-Resonance: Inter-Organics Japanese Performance and Sound Art,” Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- ──
- Oct. “Publicness of the Art Center,” Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki, Japan
- ──
- Sept. “The 5th Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art: Immortality,” Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant, Ekaterinburg, Russia
- ──
- July “U40,” Yu-un, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- July “MOT Collection: Please to Meet You” (phase II), Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- Mar. “Weavers of Worlds: A Century of Flux in Japanese Modern / Contemporary Art,” Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- Feb. “Visible Soul: Around the Asia Collection of Benesse Art Site Naoshima,” Fukutake House, Okayama, Japan
- 2018
- Nov. “The 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art,” Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia
- ──
- Aug. “Sensory Agents,” Len Lye Centre, New Plymouth, New Zealand
- ──
- June “Childhood,” Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
- ──
- Mar. “rehearsal,” Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong
- ──
- Mar. “Going Away Closer,” Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam, Havana, Cuba
- 2017
- Oct. “Japanorama: New Vision on Art Since 1970,” Centre Pompidou-Metz, Metz, France
- ──
- Sept. “14th Biennale de Lyon,” Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon, France
- ──
- Aug. “Sapporo International Art Festival 2017,” Sapporo City University Skyway, Hokkaido, Japan
- ──
- Feb. “MOT Satellite Spring 2017: by the Deep Rivers,” Tokyo, Japan
- 2016
- Dec. “Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016,” Kochi, India
- ──
- Sept. “Digital Design Weekend 2016,” Victoria and Albert, London, United Kingdom
- ──
- Mar. “Roppongi Crossing 2016,” Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
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- Mar. “Regeneration Movement,” National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan
- ──
- Jan. “The Way Things Go,” Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
- 2015
- Nov. “Nissan Art Award 2015,” BankART Studio NYK, Yokohama, Japan
- ──
- Oct. “2015 Jaguar Asia Tech Art Prize (Art Taipei 2015),” Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan
- ──
- Sept. “Spectrum,” Spiral Garden, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- July “Mirror Mirror,” Kate Werble Gallery, New York, NY, United States
- 2014
- Dec. “Unseen Existence,” Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong
- ──
- Aug. “Yokohama Triennale 2014,” Yokohama Museum of Art, Kanagawa, Japan
- ──
- July “Media Art/Kitchen Aomori,” Aomori Contemporary Art Center, Aomori, Japan
- ──
- July “Sapporo International Art Festival 2014,” Hokkaido, Japan
- ──
- May “Causality: Kinetic Expressions,” 1335MABINI, Manila, Philippines
- ──
- Jan. “Transmediale 14,” Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany
- 2013
- Sept. “Media Art/Kitchen,” Gallery National Indonesia, Indonesia
- ──
- Mar. “The Things We Have Overlooked,” Sendai Mediatheque, Miyagi, Japan
- 2012
- Oct. “Art and Music,” Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- ──
- Mar. “x_sound,” Nam June Paik Art Center, Yongin, Korea
- 2011
- Nov. “Alternating Currents,” Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth, Australia
- ──
- Jan. “John Cage Variations VII,” Asahi Art Square, Tokyo, Japan
- 2010
- Nov. “Otomo Yoshihide Ensembles 2010: Resonance,” Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki, Japan
- 2009
- May “Coded Cultures,” Museums Quartier Wien, Vienna, Austria
- ──
- Jan. “Radiator Festival 2009,” Broadway Media Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- 2008
- Sept. “The 5th Seoul International Media Art Biennale (Media City Seoul),” Seoul, Korea
- ──
- Feb. “AV Festival 08: Broadcast,” Discovery Museum Newcastle Gateshead, Newcastle, United Kingdom
Publications (Monographs & Solo Exhibition Catalogues)
Assume That There Is Friction and Resistance. text by Emma Lavigne, Kazuko Koike, Minoru Hatanaka, Kodama Kanazawa. Interviewed by Taisuke Shimanuki. Tokyo: Getsuyosha, Feb. 2019
After the Echo. Tokyo: After the Echo Project, Oct. 2018
Yuko Mohri. text by Sam Belinfante. London: Camden Arts Centre, July 2018
Grey Skies. poem by Sayaka Ohsaki. text by Hitoshi Nakano, Satoko “Tetta” Sugimoto. Kanagawa: Fujisawa City Art Space, Feb. 2018
Yuko Mohri. text by Richard Wentworth, Mark Rappolt, Edward Ball. London: White Rainbow, Apr. 2017.
ArtReview Asia, Autumn 2016, ArtReview, 2016 [cover, interview]
Yuko Mohri Anmerkung – Art Hack Day Transmediale, BCCKS (Tokyo), 2014 [e-book]
MORE MORE Tokyo [Water Leak Tokyo], BCCKS (Tokyo),2012 [e-book]
Grants and Awards
- 2020
- Grant, Arts Council Tokyo Fiscal Year 2020, Arts Council Tokyo
- ──
- Grant, Asahi Shimbun Foundation
- 2019
- Lauréats 2020: Cité internationale des arts, Institut français
- ──
- Ones to Watch 2019, It’s Nice That
- 2018
- East Asian Cultural Exchange Envoy (China), Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan
- ──
- Grant, Arts Council Tokyo Fiscal Year 2018, Arts Council Tokyo
- ──
- Grant, Asahi Group Arts Foundation
- ──
- Grant in Support of Art-Related International Exchange, Pola Art Foundation
- ──
- Contemporary Art Support Program, Terumo Foundation for Life Science and Arts
- 2017
- Bvlgari Avrora Awards 2017 (Recommender: Ryuichi Sakamoto)
- ──
- Grant in Support of Art-Related International Exchange, Pola Art Foundation
- ──
- The New Face Award, the 67th Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts, Japan
- 2016
- Japan Foundation New Delhi
- ──
- Culture and Future Prize, the 65th Kanagawa Culture Award, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
- ──
- 40 under 40 Asia Pacific: The Most Inspirational Young People in the Asia Pacific Art World, Apollo Magazine
- 2015
- Grand Prix, Nissan Art Award 2015
- ──
- Honorary Mention, 2015 Jaguar Asia Tech Art Prize
- ──
- Grant, Arts Council Tokyo Fiscal Year 2015, Arts Council Tokyo
- 2014
- The Fellowship Grant Individual 2014, Asian Cultural Council (ACC)
- ──
- Grow Up Artist Project 2014, Asahi Art Square
- ──
- Award “The Bacon Prize,” Art Fair Tokyo 2014
- ──
- Research of Arts and Cultural Exchange for ASEAN (18th to 23rd Feb), Japan Foundation
- 2011
- Barcelona Exchange Residency Program, Tokyo Wonder Site
- 2006
- Honorary Mention, Ars Electronica 06
- ──
- Second Prize, Transmediale06
Public Collection
Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
M+, Hong Kong
Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon, Lyon, France
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan
The Nissan Art Collection, Kanagawa, Japan
Obayashi Foundation, Tokyo, Japan
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia
S-House Museum, Okayama, Japan
Takahashi Collection, Tokyo, Japan
Tokai Tokyo Securities, Tokyo, Japan
Teaching
- 2017–
- Lecturer, Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Global Art Practice (Collaborate with Emmanuelle Huynh, École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts)
- 2016–17
- Lecturer, Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Painting
- 2006–08
- Researcher, Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media
Educational Background
- 2006
- M.F.A. Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Inter-Media Art
- 2004
- B.F.A. Tama Art University, Department of Information Design
Artist-in-Residence
- 2019
- Mar. Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki, Japan
- 2016
- Sept. Camden Arts Centre, London, United Kingdom
- ──
- July Victoria & Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom
- 2015
- Mar. Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York, United States
- 2014
- Aug. Aomori Contemporary Art Center, Aomori, Japan
- 2011
- Nov. Hangar Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- 2008
- Feb. s/lab Sunderland University, Sunderland, United Kingdom
- 2007
- June s/lab Sunderland University, Sunderland, United Kingdom