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Future Echoes
NCA | Nichido Contemporary Art
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Artists
Busui Ajaw, Ami Inoue, Crystal Lupa, Wangechi Mutu, Mika Shimauchi
nca | nichido contemporary art is pleased to present the group show Future Echoes featuring the work of 5 female artists, namely Busui Ajaw, Ami Inoue, Crystal Lupa, Wangechi Mutu and Mika Shimauchi.
The exhibition explores a variety of themes spanning identity, diaspora, environment, and human-nature relations, from a female perspective shaped by the daily lives of these artists.
Artists who have been witnessing the rapid globalization of the past few years which has brought about various ills –for instance, environmental disasters, climate change, struggles over labor conditions, human rights violations and political tensions – that have been changing the world as we know it. Creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue and connection, through investigation they bring themselves to question their own environment and background, gaining new perspectives each time.
Through painting and sculpture, Busui Ajaw, who, as a child, fled to Thailand from Myanmar in order to escape the country’s political unrest at the time, gives voice to what it means to live in today’s society whilst still embodying traditions and beliefs from the past, especially drawing on her own experience being a member of the Ahka people. Ajaw’s practice stretches far beyond the mere passing down of traditions, as, through her work, she touches upon issues still relevant in contemporary societies, such as poverty for instance, and patriarchy which she is personally fighting both as a woman and a mother.
From a mountain village in Kyoto where she lives, Ami Inoue works across a variety of media combining installation, video and photography while engaging in beekeeping and hunting. Through her work, Inoue is looking for ways in which humans and nature can coexist today, exploring the relation between humans and other living beings; and she does so by learning about the ecosystem and confronting nature through her practice. The work on view consists of Inoue’s newest video installation which records the necessary growth stages of her puppies in order for them to become fully grown hunting dogs. And with time, changes happen, not only from a biological point of view, as the relation between humans and animals evolves. By observing the development of her dogs, Inoue smartly addresses nature’s unpredictability creating a new vision.
Born in the U.S., and currently based in Taiwan, Crystal Lupa transforms life experiences in reality or dreams into scenes.
Lupa’s visual language evokes fantasy literature and Eastern mysticism, and, overflowing with a primitive yet lyrical texture, it brings to the fore the psychological state of her representations. By giving visibility to the inner dimension, she explores the self, complex, shadow, and the collective unconscious, some sort of shared experience which has been unifying humanity throughout time, knowing no cultural borders.
Spanning across different media which combine performance, sculpture, installation, and collage, the work by Kenyan-American artist Wangechi Mutu is deeply connected to womanhood. Female pseudo-cyborgs, bizarre beings that are part human, part plant, fantastical hybrid creatures - they all bear testament to the existence of a feminine energy as a universal aspect of humanity, representing women’s body as a vessel of strength simultaneously eliciting feelings of desire and disgust, intertwined with the cultural values of today’s societies.
Life-altering experiences, such as the COVID pandemic, and the 2016’s earthquake, brought Shimauchi to develop an interest in local festivals and the religious, folkloristic beliefs deeply and specifically rooted in a given geographic area, compelling her to conduct extensive fieldwork. Shimauchi’s interdisciplinary practice, spanning installation, sculpture and painting, seeks new answers to the problems we are facing today by looking at the old stories and myths of deities, passed down for generations, such as the existence of visiting gods called marebito or raihosin who would visit the human-world from another dimension, and that show us a glimpse of how people in the past overcame difficulties and carried on living in local communities.
While they do not share the same culture or background, the artists on view, each from their own personal stance, have been rising to the challenges of our times and, holding their ground, have been paving the way for the rest of us as they continue to walk their own path.
The exhibition explores a variety of themes spanning identity, diaspora, environment, and human-nature relations, from a female perspective shaped by the daily lives of these artists.
Artists who have been witnessing the rapid globalization of the past few years which has brought about various ills –for instance, environmental disasters, climate change, struggles over labor conditions, human rights violations and political tensions – that have been changing the world as we know it. Creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue and connection, through investigation they bring themselves to question their own environment and background, gaining new perspectives each time.
Through painting and sculpture, Busui Ajaw, who, as a child, fled to Thailand from Myanmar in order to escape the country’s political unrest at the time, gives voice to what it means to live in today’s society whilst still embodying traditions and beliefs from the past, especially drawing on her own experience being a member of the Ahka people. Ajaw’s practice stretches far beyond the mere passing down of traditions, as, through her work, she touches upon issues still relevant in contemporary societies, such as poverty for instance, and patriarchy which she is personally fighting both as a woman and a mother.
From a mountain village in Kyoto where she lives, Ami Inoue works across a variety of media combining installation, video and photography while engaging in beekeeping and hunting. Through her work, Inoue is looking for ways in which humans and nature can coexist today, exploring the relation between humans and other living beings; and she does so by learning about the ecosystem and confronting nature through her practice. The work on view consists of Inoue’s newest video installation which records the necessary growth stages of her puppies in order for them to become fully grown hunting dogs. And with time, changes happen, not only from a biological point of view, as the relation between humans and animals evolves. By observing the development of her dogs, Inoue smartly addresses nature’s unpredictability creating a new vision.
Born in the U.S., and currently based in Taiwan, Crystal Lupa transforms life experiences in reality or dreams into scenes.
Lupa’s visual language evokes fantasy literature and Eastern mysticism, and, overflowing with a primitive yet lyrical texture, it brings to the fore the psychological state of her representations. By giving visibility to the inner dimension, she explores the self, complex, shadow, and the collective unconscious, some sort of shared experience which has been unifying humanity throughout time, knowing no cultural borders.
Spanning across different media which combine performance, sculpture, installation, and collage, the work by Kenyan-American artist Wangechi Mutu is deeply connected to womanhood. Female pseudo-cyborgs, bizarre beings that are part human, part plant, fantastical hybrid creatures - they all bear testament to the existence of a feminine energy as a universal aspect of humanity, representing women’s body as a vessel of strength simultaneously eliciting feelings of desire and disgust, intertwined with the cultural values of today’s societies.
Life-altering experiences, such as the COVID pandemic, and the 2016’s earthquake, brought Shimauchi to develop an interest in local festivals and the religious, folkloristic beliefs deeply and specifically rooted in a given geographic area, compelling her to conduct extensive fieldwork. Shimauchi’s interdisciplinary practice, spanning installation, sculpture and painting, seeks new answers to the problems we are facing today by looking at the old stories and myths of deities, passed down for generations, such as the existence of visiting gods called marebito or raihosin who would visit the human-world from another dimension, and that show us a glimpse of how people in the past overcame difficulties and carried on living in local communities.
While they do not share the same culture or background, the artists on view, each from their own personal stance, have been rising to the challenges of our times and, holding their ground, have been paving the way for the rest of us as they continue to walk their own path.
Schedule | Jul 26 (Sat) 2025-Sep 13 (Sat) 2025 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception Jul 26 (Sat) 2025 17:00 - 19:00 | ||||
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Venue | NCA | Nichido Contemporary Art http://www.nca-g.com  | ||||
| Location | 102, 7-21-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032 | ||||
| Access | 5 minute walk from exit 7 at Roppongi Station on the Hibiya or Toei Oedo line, 7 minute walk from exit 5 at Nogizaka Station on the Chiyoda line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-6384-5310 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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