Yasuaki Igarashi

Born 1978 in Chiba Prefecture. Collaborates with local residents on projects that connect
the lifestyle and natural environment of that place in beautiful ways, in the process
remaking the landscape. Igarashi believes that art is the art of relationships between

human beings and nature, and that in today’s world, can serve as a tool for connecting
people from all walks of life. Sailing a yacht 4,000 km from Japan to Micronesia in 2005
gave Igarashi an ocean-based perspective that forms the foundation of his practice. Major
endeavors include Kusukaki (Raking Up Camphor Leaves, 2010–ongoing) at Dazaifu
Tenmangu Shrine in Fukuoka, intended as a 1000-year art project; Sora-ami (Knitting the
Sky, Setouchi Triennale 2013, 2016, 2019; other), which captures local land and seascapes
by knitting fishing nets towards the sky alongside local fishermen; the Toki wo Tabaneru
(Bundling Time, Antarctic Biennale 2017) project on the frozen southern continent, a
collaborative effort by people from around the world who braided cords representing lines
of longitude into a rope, and used it to fly a kite together; and Umiwatari (Sea Crossing,
Tsunagi Art Museum, Kumamoto, 2021–ongoing), in which a time-honored folk belief has
been preserved for posterity via its reconstruction as an artwork.