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Megumi Shauna Arai "Sinew"
Koki Arts
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Megumi Shauna Arai
KOKI ARTS is pleased to present Sinew, the first solo exhibition in Japan by New York–based artist Megumi Shauna Arai. This exhibition features new works that seek to reframe traditional understandings of strength and resilience. The title of the exhibition conjures the many definitions of sinew: tissues that live between muscle and bone, allowing movement in the bodies of mammals; durable fibers used to thread, sew, and bind; power.
Sinew marks a burgeoning chapter in Arai’s practice, one that emerges from unexpected journeys as well as carefully selected parameters and exercises. From these parallel guidelines come a scale and material language previously unseen in Arai’s pieces. Produced across consecutive international residencies, these new works operate on a smaller scale, beckoning viewers to look closely. Each textile of stretched silk shares a singular world of multi-colored washes and patterns inspired by auxetic geometry. The artist’s recent immersion into the practice of Qigong (tendon meridian form) has built an intuitive pull towards meditations of slow, calculated, and methodological movements. Such tendencies seep into her creative process; each work undergoes more than ten distinct steps of stretching, drawing, drying, washing, and more. Each step, even the most invisible, is offered the same attention—a prolonged look, ample patience.
Arai is interested in the connections between the various definitions of ‘sinew’ as well as the muted nature of the word—overshadowed by its iconically strong neighbors of muscle and bone, yet ‘sinew’ is the only one that holds the literal meaning of strength. The works in this exhibition ask viewers to pause and imagine what they may be missing. Their delicate size and jewel-toned palette disguise layers of labor, material, and time—gently waiting to be exposed. Sinew is both strength and flexibility; Sinew is both arrival and return.
Sinew marks a burgeoning chapter in Arai’s practice, one that emerges from unexpected journeys as well as carefully selected parameters and exercises. From these parallel guidelines come a scale and material language previously unseen in Arai’s pieces. Produced across consecutive international residencies, these new works operate on a smaller scale, beckoning viewers to look closely. Each textile of stretched silk shares a singular world of multi-colored washes and patterns inspired by auxetic geometry. The artist’s recent immersion into the practice of Qigong (tendon meridian form) has built an intuitive pull towards meditations of slow, calculated, and methodological movements. Such tendencies seep into her creative process; each work undergoes more than ten distinct steps of stretching, drawing, drying, washing, and more. Each step, even the most invisible, is offered the same attention—a prolonged look, ample patience.
Arai is interested in the connections between the various definitions of ‘sinew’ as well as the muted nature of the word—overshadowed by its iconically strong neighbors of muscle and bone, yet ‘sinew’ is the only one that holds the literal meaning of strength. The works in this exhibition ask viewers to pause and imagine what they may be missing. Their delicate size and jewel-toned palette disguise layers of labor, material, and time—gently waiting to be exposed. Sinew is both strength and flexibility; Sinew is both arrival and return.
Schedule | Nov 22 (Sat) 2025-Dec 27 (Sat) 2025 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception Nov 22 (Sat) 2025 18:00 - 20:00 | ||||
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Venue | Koki Arts http://www.kokiarts.com/  | ||||
| Location | 1F Rose Bldg., 1-15-2 Higashi Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0031 | ||||
| Access | 1 minute walk from exit 4 at JR Bakurocho Station, 3 minute walk from exit A1 at Bakuro-yokoyama Station on the Toei Shinjuku line, 6 minute walk from exit B4 at Higashi-nihombashi Station on the Toei Asakusa line. | ||||
| Phone | 03-3865-8650 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it  |
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