Mariko Mori speaks w/ Public Delivery: Art can unite humanity

Interview

Mariko Mori (森 万里子): Art has the power to unite humanity

Mariko Mori spoke with us about her work Ālaya, 2013.

Transcript

‘Alaya’ was originally produced for the work of Dream Temple in 1999. It was one of the scenes that people see inside of Dream Temple. I wanted to reintroduce the idea because I wanted to share it once again. Many cells, which are floating around the center lights, represent the soul of every living being. In animation, to sometimes emerge and sometimes separate.

I feel, though, we all look different, but the soul is identical, echo and all connected together as one. Art is a universal language, which has no boundary between nation, culture and race. I believe that art has the power to unite humanity and to bring together our world to one.

About Mariko Mori

Mariko Mori’s practice explores universal questions at the intersection of life, death, reality and technology. The juxtaposition of Eastern mythology with Western culture is a common theme in Mori’s works, shown through layering photography and digital imaging, such as in her 1995 installation Birth of a Star.

Later works, such as Nirvana, show her as a goddess, transcending her early roles via technology and image and abandoning realistic urban scenes for more alien landscapes.

Worldwide, Mori gained recognition for her interactive installation Wave UFO, which debuted at Kunsthaus Bregenz in Bregenz (Austria) in 2003. The installation was subsequently shown in New York (USA) with Public Art Fund, Genoa (Italy), and was included in the 2005 Venice Biennale (Italy).

More by Mariko Mori

Citation

Stay in touch

We would love to keep the conversation going.

Please join us on Instagram, Telegram or YouTube.

Want inspiration in your inbox?