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Yoichi Kamimura "Waterforest"

Until Jul 21

Artists

Yoichi Kamimura

Hakari Contemporary is pleased to present Waterforest, a solo exhibition by Yoichi Kamimura. Kamimura explores ways of perceiving landscapes through vision and hearing, combining environmental field recordings with visual elements such as drawings, text, and light. He creates sound installations, paintings, video works, and performances that have been presented in Japan as well as internationally.

This exhibition focuses on soundscapes constructed mainly from field recordings Kamimura makes around the world during his residencies and travels. Key works include sound installations based on his experience of Shiretoko’s drift ice, Icelandic glaciers, the Amazon rainforest, Iguaçu (the world’s largest waterfall), springs in the Swiss Alps, the Lake Biwa Canal that flows beneath Kyoto, and ocean sounds recorded across the globe on nights that full and new moons occur. Alongside a low-frequency soundscape of flowing water that resonates throughout the space, a forest-like installation of images related to water— captured in the course of Kamimura’s journeys — is also presented. The exhibition is inspired by a sea of clouds Kamimura saw from a boat on the Amazon River. Known as the “Flying River,” this natural phenomenon occurs when large amounts of moisture evaporate from the rainforest, rise into the sky, form enormous clouds, and return as rain, symbolizing the Amazon’s ecological cycle. At the same time, this cycle of ‘water’ and ‘forest’ represents a natural process that effortlessly crosses the many boundaries created by human beings.

In recent years, Kamimura has traveled through regions experiencing war and conflict, and has witnessed first-hand the escalation of violence and tensions arising from opposing opinions and emotions. Even when people appear to share an ‘anti-war’ stance, differences in individual backgrounds often lead to subtle divisions that are hard to reconcile. As a metaphor for overcoming such disconnection, Kamimura returns to the image of the majestic “Flying River” he saw in the Amazon. By linking the meanings of ‘water’ and ‘forest’ together in the title Waterforest, he seeks to express not opposition or division but connectivity and circulation, through the universal sensory awareness he has cultivated in different natural environments.

Joining the exhibition as guest curator is Seiha Kurosawa, who previously co-organized the 2021 exhibition Floating Between Tropical and Glacial Zones with Kamimura — an exhibition that linked field research in the Brazilian Amazon and Shiretoko, Hokkaido, to explore new perspectives regarding the environment. Over several years, Kamimura and Kurosawa have continued a dialogue about emerging ecological thought which is also reflected in this exhibition. We hope you will take this opportunity to experience Kamimura’s latest work, which moves fluidly while aspiring towards a more universal and planetary perspective.

[Related Events]
Artist Talk
Speakers: Yoichi Kamimura, Seiha Kurosawa
Date: June 14 (Sat) 16:00–17:00
Venue: Hakari Contemporary
Admission free, no reservation required.
*Admission may be limited according to visitor numbers.
2. Sound Performance
Performers: Yoichi Kamimura, Marihiko Hara
Date: June 29 (Sun) 14:00–15:00
Venue: Hakari Contemporary
Admission free, no reservation required.
*Admission may be limited according to visitor numbers.

Schedule

Now in session

Jun 14 (Sat) 2025-Jul 21 (Mon) 2025 28 days left