Exhibition/event has ended.
Book launch: Metttasphere
Atelier Studio Gross
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Artists
Kazuhiko Hiwa, Chloe Pare-Anastasiadou, Angus Schaefer
How do we narrate our identities across media, languages, and national borders? metttasphere, a newly published bilingual (Japanese/English) book edited by Michael Facius, Hannah Janz, and aliwen, brings together 21 artists and researchers from Japan and abroad to explore this question.
The book grows out of the long-running mettta project, which began with a deceptively simple question: Who are we on social media? From this starting point, the project expanded into a broader investigation of identity in contemporary culture; where digital platforms, migration, language, and embodiment continuously reshape how we understand ourselves and others.
Structured in three chapters—“Mediated identities,” “Migrations / translations,” and “Queer & disabled post-identities”—metttasphere weaves together artistic practices and academic reflections. Designed in collaboration with Kano Daisuke (加納大輔), the 424-page volume combines risograph-printed texts with offset-printed artworks and photographs, bound using coptic binding. The result is both a research publication and an artist book exploring social media, transnationality, queerness, and accessibility.
To celebrate the book’s release, we are hosting a two-day pop-up exhibition and launch event at Studio GROSS. in Arakawa, Tokyo. The event brings together artworks, readings, and conversations with contributors, creating a space where visitors can encounter the themes of the book not only through reading but also through dialogue and shared experience.
The book is published by torch press, a Tokyo-based independent publisher specializing in art books and photobooks run by Amino Nao (網野奈央). Since 2013, torch press has collaborated with contemporary artists to produce carefully crafted publications that emphasize the tactile and conceptual possibilities of the book as a medium.
In addition to the pop-up event, an academic book launch will take place at The University of Tokyo, Ito International Research Center Hall, on Tuesday, April 14 (16:00–18:00), bringing together contributors and scholars Michael Facius, Terada Yuki (寺田悠紀), and aliwen for a conversation about identity, media, and transnational perspectives.
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Day 1 (18:00-21:00)
19:00 Narrating identities: Talk with the editors Michael Facius & aliwen
19:30 On papermaking: Lecture-performance by Chloe Pare-Anastasiadou
20:00 Drinks & Snacks
Day 2 (13:00-18:00)
Readings from metttasphere throughout the afternoon
17:00 Virtual talk with editor Hannah Janz
The book grows out of the long-running mettta project, which began with a deceptively simple question: Who are we on social media? From this starting point, the project expanded into a broader investigation of identity in contemporary culture; where digital platforms, migration, language, and embodiment continuously reshape how we understand ourselves and others.
Structured in three chapters—“Mediated identities,” “Migrations / translations,” and “Queer & disabled post-identities”—metttasphere weaves together artistic practices and academic reflections. Designed in collaboration with Kano Daisuke (加納大輔), the 424-page volume combines risograph-printed texts with offset-printed artworks and photographs, bound using coptic binding. The result is both a research publication and an artist book exploring social media, transnationality, queerness, and accessibility.
To celebrate the book’s release, we are hosting a two-day pop-up exhibition and launch event at Studio GROSS. in Arakawa, Tokyo. The event brings together artworks, readings, and conversations with contributors, creating a space where visitors can encounter the themes of the book not only through reading but also through dialogue and shared experience.
The book is published by torch press, a Tokyo-based independent publisher specializing in art books and photobooks run by Amino Nao (網野奈央). Since 2013, torch press has collaborated with contemporary artists to produce carefully crafted publications that emphasize the tactile and conceptual possibilities of the book as a medium.
In addition to the pop-up event, an academic book launch will take place at The University of Tokyo, Ito International Research Center Hall, on Tuesday, April 14 (16:00–18:00), bringing together contributors and scholars Michael Facius, Terada Yuki (寺田悠紀), and aliwen for a conversation about identity, media, and transnational perspectives.
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Day 1 (18:00-21:00)
19:00 Narrating identities: Talk with the editors Michael Facius & aliwen
19:30 On papermaking: Lecture-performance by Chloe Pare-Anastasiadou
20:00 Drinks & Snacks
Day 2 (13:00-18:00)
Readings from metttasphere throughout the afternoon
17:00 Virtual talk with editor Hannah Janz
Schedule | Apr 11 (Sat) 2026-Apr 12 (Sun) 2026 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||
| Venue | Atelier Studio Gross http://studio-gross.de/  | ||
| Location | 5-14-13 Higashiogu, Arakawa-Ku, Tokyo 116-0012 | ||
| Access | 3 minute walk from Kumanomae Station on the Nippori Toneri Liner or Toden Arakawa line. | ||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it  |
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