Mariko Mori: All That Shines

Message From the Artist

In my early twenties, after my father’s passing, as I confronted the fragility of life, a question began to emerge within me: does human existence truly come to an end?
I first sought answers in Buddhism, then turned to books on astrophysics, traveled to ancient cities and sacred sites around the world (Giza, Lalibela, Angkor Wat, Teotihuacan, and Machu Picchu, among others), and eventually directed my thoughts toward Neolithic sites both in Japan and abroad including Orkney, Newgrange, Idojiri, and Oyu. Within this process of inquiry, I collaborated with scientists and engineers, developing new technologies while exploring new forms of expression that could allow people to experience a sense of connection with the universe.
Through my practice, I began to consider that if something like a soul exists, it may be light - part of a larger existence. Although life and death appear to be separated on a material level, they may not be fundamentally divided at a deeper level. That sensation lives quietly within my works as an inner light nameless, yet breathing.