Mariko Mori: All That Shines

Structure of the Exhibition

The exhibition is organized chronologically into five sections.

1. From Post-human to Esoteric Embodiment

Drawing significant attention in the mid-1990s, Mori’s early works such as Birth of a Star (1995) and the “Cyborg” series (1994-1995) adopt elements of animé, video games, cosplay, and fashion to cast herself as a post-human female in everyday urban settings, jolting present and future, human and cyborg registers of existence. Mori’s interest subsequently expanded to Buddhist cosmology, leading to large-scale two-dimensional works like the “Esoteric Cosmos” series (1996-1998), in which she employs advanced digital imaging to stage herself in deified forms in remote landscapes based on Buddhist iconography. Designed as a kind of sanctuary, the video installation Link (2000) projects images of Mori lying inert in her transparent Plexiglas “body capsule” against iconic vistas of thirteen different sites that represent three periods of human time: antiquity, the present, and the future. Mori presents the viewer with a sense of time that defies linearity, giving form to the Buddhist concept of transmigration, wherein life and death are in constant states of mutual generation. These works mark a shift in Mori’s approach to art as a portal to expanded states of consciousness; their gorgeousness disguises her evolving belief in spiritual agency.

2. From Techno-spiritual Environments to “Oneness”

Mori’s interest in technology further evolved, and in her mid-career projects, she incorporated advanced computational technologies developed in collaboration with international scientists and laboratories to create techno-spiritual immersive environments. As the largest three-dimensional installation utilizing brainwave biofeedback, Wave UFO (1999-2002) is one of her most innovative works. Participants enter a biomorphic pod where their brain activity is translated into projected imagery that unites them with others. (*1) This work embodies the concept of “Oneness” - the fundamental interconnectedness of humanity - which Mori has advocated since the early 2000s in response to escalating global violence. The CG work Connected World, featured within Wave UFO, visualizes the psychic experience of deep consciousness.

*1 In the exhibition Mariko Mori: All That Shines, a limited number of visitors will be able to experience the interior of Wave UFO.

3. Ancient Future

Since 2004, Mori has created projects inspired by prehistoric Celtic and Jōmon cosmologies. Tom Na H-iu (2006) is a totemic sculpture illuminated by the real-time data from Super-Kamiokande, Japan’s neutrino observatory at the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research (ICRR), The University of Tokyo. Responding in real time to neutrinos generated by the sun, Earth’s atmosphere, and distant supernovae, Tom Na H-iu transforms imperceptible cosmic events into luminous flashes, connecting viewers to natural phenomena beyond the known universe. The exhibition also features photographic works of Kudaka Island in Okinawa, the Oyu Stone Circles in Akita, and other Jōmon stone circles, alongside the installation Flat Stone (2006), which emerged from her research into stone-paved dwellings of the Middle to Late Jōmon period. Incorporating motifs such as the Kamitategami-iwa rock from the Japanese myth of Onokoro Island and the Oshito stones in Kumamoto, these sculptures are components of Shrine (2025), an installation first exhibited in New York last year.

4. Connecting with the Natural World

The exhibition concludes with presentations of the artist’s Faou Foundation initiative. Founded in 2010 (the name “Faou” is a coined word meaning “creative force”), the foundation develops site-specific public sculptures that synchronize with the movements of the cosmos and the heavens. In collaboration with local communities on each of the six habitable continents, these projects seek to raise awareness of the Earth’s natural treasures and the relationship between nature and humanity. Following the permanent installation of Primal Rhythm: Sun Pillar on Miyako Island in 2011 and Ring: One with Nature in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Peace Crystal, which is planned for installation in Ethiopia, was presented during the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024. This section also features a new large-scale LED video presentation capturing real events beyond the museum space, including views of Primal Rhythm: Sun Pillar, Ring: One with Nature, and the ocean seen from “Yuputira” - Mori’s studio on Miyako Island, named by combining the Miyako words for abundance (yupu) and the sun (tira).

5. Mariko Mori Archive and Studio

The exhibition space includes dedicated areas for Mariko Mori’s Archive and Studio. The Archive section presents a wealth of materials, including her biography, photographs from her early modeling days, installation views, performance videos, numerous publications, and exhibition reviews. The Studio section introduces her daily practice through drawings, idea sketches, research notebooks, and books, alongside ancient objects from the artist’s personal collection.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue co-edited by Alexandra Munroe and Kataoka Mami.

* Kindly note that the exhibition content and featured artworks may be subject to modification due to potential international logistical challenges or unforeseeable circumstances.