Shinji OHMAKI: Rotation and Revolution

In the fall of 2024, Mind Set Art Center will present a major solo exhibition by contemporary Japanese artist Shinji Ohmaki titled Rotation and Revolution. This will be the artist's fourth solo exhibition at the gallery, following his 2017 show Gravity and Grace. The exhibition is set to showcase installations, sculptures, and paintings, including a brand-new series that has never been exhibited in Taiwan. According to Andre Lee, founder of Mind Set Art Center, this will be the first time that Shinji Ohmaki utilizes the gallery's spacious venue in Neihu. After two years of planning between the artist and the gallery, the exhibition is finally ready to be presented to the public.

Ohmaki is renowned for his unique spatial installations that combine poetic expression with public engagement, using delicate and precise techniques to create a dialogue between space and artwork. His work invites viewers to explore philosophical questions about life, the universe, and the self. Ohmaki's pieces have been featured in major international exhibitions, including collaborations with Hermès Left Bank Store in France and Louis Vuitton's 2016 men's fashion show. His last solo exhibition in Taiwan was at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts in 2020, titled Rustle of Existence, which left a lasting impression on art lovers. After four years, Rotation and Revolution will once again invite the audience into the artist's deeply contemplative universe, offering a sense of tranquility and depth.

"Rotation and Revolution": From Individual Existence to the Exploration of the Universe

The theme of this exhibition draws inspiration from the sculpture "Waltz[1]" by Camille Claudel. Ohmaki explained, "The rotation in the waltz seems to isolate the dancers from the outside world, leaving only the two of them." This dizzying rotation, much like Claudel's depiction, pulls between "self" and "relationships." Ohmaki extends this concept of "rotation" to both the universe and the individual. "Rotation and Revolution" is his profound insight into the nature of life and the cosmos. Rotation represents the individual's independence, while revolution symbolizes our connection with the world. Together, these movements intertwine to create the complex trajectory of our lives. The theme of "Rotation and Revolution" not only describes the laws of the universe but also delves into the exploration of our inner world. Ohmaki's works guide viewers to reflect on their roles within this vast universe and contemplate how their inner world interacts with the external world.

"As a being with a physical form, how do we 'create' the world? This question has lingered in my mind for a long time. Through this exhibition, I hope to invite the audience to revisit the world from the perspective of 'movement' and explore the connection between ourselves and the world."- Shinji Ohmaki

Starting from the individual's inner world, capture the "rotation" movements that occur within the body or at the boundaries of the body due to external influences.

Drawing from the artist's experiences during the pandemic, where he ventured into the forest at night and adapted to the darkness, Ohmaki developed his visual experience in the Drawing in the Dark series. These works explore the concept of touching the world through obscured vision. Meanwhile, Bubbles of Sensation: Drifting Fragments is seen by Ohmaki as a medium for exploring the inner world, reflecting on the blurred boundary between the body's interior and exterior. The repeatedly chewed gum acts as  a metaphorical burden, carrying contradictions, subconscious desires, and inexplicable energies from the depths of the individual's psyche. It is as though a part of the body has been rejected and cannot fully integrate into the whole. Even though these actions are unconscious, they leave traces of movement in space.

At the Heart of the Exhibition: Our Cosmic "Revolution"

In the center of the exhibition space, more than 20 brass plates titled Waltz  will be suspended, engraved with natural rock formations symbolizing tidal movements caused by the interactions between the solar system, Earth, and the Moon. These engravings represent the intertwining of cosmic-scale movements with the small actions of individuals. At the deepest part of the exhibition, the large-scale work "The Creation" not only presents a new perspective born from interaction and collaboration but also reinterprets the universe. Perhaps in human interactions, the process of creation—from chaos to order—can be seen as a kind of revolutionary movement.

Shinji Ohmaki commented, "The term 'dynamic state' refers to the simultaneous occurrence and mutual influence of psychological states, inner activities, external actions, and effects. You can imagine it as the internal being pulled outward while the external flows inward. Like a sponge absorbing water, when you squeeze it, air is forced out, and when it's filled with water, the air is displaced. My question is how to create such a 'dynamic state' in space that absorbs and releases, interacting with people." 

The gallery's director, Queena Chu, noted that in addition to bringing a fresh concept of the "dynamic state," Ohmaki will also present the "Echoes Crystallization" in the gallery's Project Room. This work, which has never been shown in Taiwan, will serve as the exhibition's first visual landscape and introductory point for the audience.