Talk: Protocols for Quantum Symbiosis—Mariko Mori: From Jomon Cosmology to Prayers for the Anthropocene
Mariko Mori Related Program
Conducted in Japanese
Since the late 1990s, Mariko Mori has aligned her practice with primordial Jomon cosmology, leveraging cutting-edge technology to brilliantly resuscitate the cosmic symmetry of life and death, interlaced like a Möbius strip, within modern space. This talk unpacks her signature works, including Transcircle, a contemporary reinterpretation of prehistoric stone circles, and Tom Na H-iu, an installation that maps astrophysical data of supernova explosions onto physical space (chiasma). Confronting modern rationalism’s decisive rupture from nature and the environmental precarity of the Anthropocene, this talk will investigate how Mori’s art expands human perception into a cosmic dimension, offering a protocol for survival to guide us toward a future of “quantum symbiosis” and a “physics of love.” This talk will profoundly explore this monumental spiritual trajectory through the lens of the sociology of art - delivered from the unique perspective of a curatorial companion who has walked alongside her artistic journey.
- Date & Time
- 18:30-20:00, Monday, December 21, 2026 (Doors Open: 18:15)
- Venue
- Learning Room, Mori Art Museum
- Fee
- Free (exhibition ticket valid for the day of issue required)
- Appearing
- Iida Takayo (Independent Curator / Director, Sgùrr Dearg - Institute for Sociology of the Arts)
Iida Takayo
Born 1956 in Tokyo. During his tenure at the Fuji Television Gallery (1980–1990), Iida played a pioneering role in archiving Kusama Yayoi’s artistic career. He served as the Japan-side Director for Mariko Mori’s monumental project Dream Temple (1999, Fondazione Prada).
His international curatorial milestones include serving as Guest Curator for the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris, where he organized exhibitions for Sugimoto Hiroshi and Yokoo Tadanori. He also conceived and curated the critically acclaimed series War and Art at Kyoto University of Art and Design (2007-2009). At the invitation of Kawakubo Rei of Comme des Garçons, he directed a legendary series of exhibitions at the art space “Six” in Osaka (2009-2011). He has curated numerous exhibitions in Japan and abroad, including Civilization and Barbarism (Dojima River Biennale, 2019), The End of the World and the Umwelt (2022), and Nihility Across Eternal Recurrence: Yukio Mishima (2025).
He has held a number of prominent positions including Director of the International Research Center for the Arts at Kyoto University of Art and Design; Lecturer for the Global Security Course at Keio University; Chief Curator / Artistic Director of the Aomori Museum of Art; Board Member of the Mori Art Museum; and Deputy Director of the Shoto Museum of Art. He currently serves as Director of the Sgùrr Dearg - Institute for Sociology of the Arts. He is the author of Archives of Civilization and Savagery (Shinyosha) and War and Art (Rittorsha).
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