Andrius Arutiunian "Obol"
Ginza Maison Hermès
Starts 2/20
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Andrius Arutiunian
The Fondation d’entreprise Hermès is pleased to present“Obol”,a solo exhibition by Armenian-Lithuanian artist and composer Andrius Arutiunian (b.1991). Curated by Tomoya Iwata, director of the curatorial space The 5th Floor, “Obol” is Arutiunian’s first solo exhibition in Japan. The artist represented Armenia at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, and has since shown at the Centre Pompidou, Palais de Tokyo, and the Gwangju Biennale.
“Obol” unfolds as an investigation of the underworld's future. Constructed as a descent into the realm of the dead, the show probes rituals that mark the transition into another world.
Arutiunian often deals with time as a viscous and hypnotic force. Treating music as a strange architecture of time, the artist works with vernacular practices, speculative rituals, and the parallels of political and sonic attunement.
At Le Forum, Arutiunian creates a futuristic vision of the afterlife. Each civilization produces ways to govern both present and otherworldly lives through rites, myths, and iconographies. In “Obol” occult writings, mythological fragments, trance, and symbols of disappearance are rendered through the aesthetics of an underground rave. Imagined as a club for chthonic beings, the show asks questions about time, future, and myth.
“Obol” manifests through newly commissioned sculptures, installations, sound, and video works. Arutiunian works with materials once related to burial procedures that have found profane uses in contemporary times. One such material—bitumen, a highly viscous petroleum substance—engulfs the central sculpture. Nearby, a dancehall sound system blasts out a cold anthem for the underworld club. Both playful and solemn, the work pays homage to the myth of Charon.
In the opposite room, a new installation emits eschatological murmurs of future deities. Imagining distant rituals-to-come, the piece takes shape through a synthetic choir, laser altar, and code-like text. In adjacent spaces, serpents, obols, and generative iconography serve as paraphernalia for the futuristic underworld.
Through this speculative, meditative, and dazzling show, Arutiunian grapples with mortality and future, tracing the thin line between the worlds of the living and the dead
“Obol” unfolds as an investigation of the underworld's future. Constructed as a descent into the realm of the dead, the show probes rituals that mark the transition into another world.
Arutiunian often deals with time as a viscous and hypnotic force. Treating music as a strange architecture of time, the artist works with vernacular practices, speculative rituals, and the parallels of political and sonic attunement.
At Le Forum, Arutiunian creates a futuristic vision of the afterlife. Each civilization produces ways to govern both present and otherworldly lives through rites, myths, and iconographies. In “Obol” occult writings, mythological fragments, trance, and symbols of disappearance are rendered through the aesthetics of an underground rave. Imagined as a club for chthonic beings, the show asks questions about time, future, and myth.
“Obol” manifests through newly commissioned sculptures, installations, sound, and video works. Arutiunian works with materials once related to burial procedures that have found profane uses in contemporary times. One such material—bitumen, a highly viscous petroleum substance—engulfs the central sculpture. Nearby, a dancehall sound system blasts out a cold anthem for the underworld club. Both playful and solemn, the work pays homage to the myth of Charon.
In the opposite room, a new installation emits eschatological murmurs of future deities. Imagining distant rituals-to-come, the piece takes shape through a synthetic choir, laser altar, and code-like text. In adjacent spaces, serpents, obols, and generative iconography serve as paraphernalia for the futuristic underworld.
Through this speculative, meditative, and dazzling show, Arutiunian grapples with mortality and future, tracing the thin line between the worlds of the living and the dead
Schedule | Feb 20 (Fri) 2026-May 31 (Sun) 2026 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://www.hermes.com/jp/ja/content/343162-mgeditopagearticleforumf73/ | ||||
| Venue | Ginza Maison Hermès https://www.hermes.com/jp/ja/story/maison-ginza/ | ||||
| Location | 5-4-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061 | ||||
| Access | Direct walk from exit B7 at Ginza Station on the Ginza, Marunouchi and Hibiya lines. 7 minute walk from the Hibiya exit of Yurakucho Station on the JR Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines. | ||||
| Phone | 03-3569-3611 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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