The public entry exhibition “MIMOCA EYE” began in 2022 as a venue for young artists to showcase their unique talents. We are pleased to present a solo exhibition of Akane Saijo (1989-), grand-prize winner in the 1st “MIMOCA EYE” exhibition.

Saijo creates organically shaped clay sculptures, using them to produce moments when viewers grow viscerally aware of their own and other people’s bodies. Struck by how pottery’s hollows resemble the hollow spaces in the human body, she in recent years has sought to extend her body by connecting it with her works. This she does by sculpting shapes suggestive of the body and its organs and holding performances of blowing breath and sound into their hollows. Hoping to examine more deeply the boundary between artwork and body, this exhibition will additionally feature glass works produced through a process of blowing air into their interior.

Making ceramics means touching the clay with hands, shaping it with hand movements, and leaving hand marks on its surface. Hence, Saijo views ceramics as a practice of being viscerally aware of one’s body and enabling communication between oneself and the world. In performances, she has newly introduced the act of transport to explore the kinds of communication possible between the artwork and the body, between the interacting bodies of people lifting and carrying, and their bodies and the physical surroundings.

1. G7A1314

The museum opened on November 23, 1991, as a commemorative project for the 90th anniversary of Marugame's municipal organization, with the full cooperation of Genichiro Inokuma, a painter associated with Marugame City. The museum, with its beautiful architecture by architect Yoshio Taniguchi, is located in front of Marugame Station and houses approximately 20,000 works donated by Inokuma himself. The museum also focuses on activities for educational purposes, holding a variety of programs such as lectures and concerts, as well as workshops to nurture children's sensitivity and creativity.

These features were developed through repeated discussions between Inokuma and Marugame City. Inokuma strongly desired MIMOCA to be a "contemporary art museum" that always actively introduces new things. Taniguchi shared Inokuma's desire for a beautiful space in an art museum and created a bright and spacious space with natural light. Taniguchi also emphasized the importance of children's exposure to beauty and proposed free admission for children and the creation of a "sculpture studio" for children to engage in creative activities.

Inokuma wanted the museum to be a place where people could casually drop in, see fine works of art in a beautiful space, and be refreshed and energized by fresh inspiration. We hope that MIMOCA, which is filled with Inokuma's thoughts, will be a "hospital for the mind" for everyone.

Commemorating the 1st “MIMOCA Eye” Grand-prize Winner "Akane Saijo— Double Touch"

Artists

Opening Hours Information