Takehiro Iikawa “DECORATOR CRAB: Measuring the Future, Pulling Time”

The Kirishima Open Air Museum is pleased to present the solo exhibition by artist Takehiro Iikawa (1981-) as a special exhibition of contemporary art.

The title “Decorator Crab” is taken from the actual crustacean that inhabits the world’s oceans and changes its appearances by wearing seaweed and pebbles in response to imitate its surrounding environment. For some time now, Iikawa has been engaged in a practice that takes a positive view of the difficulties in communicating to others surprising moments that they do not encounter themselves. While visualizing the gap between perception and reality, Iikawa proposes new experiences that deal with the relationship between the site and the viewer.

In this exhibition, the artist presents a new series of work based on the motif of a ruler and a rope. Incorporating the physical actions of the viewer, which at first glance may appear like acts of play, the artist creates a large-scale installation that is extended from the exhibition room out into the open-air place. Iikawa takes upon a brand new challenge never seen before since the museum has opened. The exhibition will also include past works that are humorous and perceptive, such as Very Heavy Bag, which seems like a lost-and-found object left behind, as well as the enormous sculpture Mr.Kobayashi, The Pink Cat that cannot be captured in full view. Iikawa’s works, which focuses on the imperfections of communication and the ‘meeting point’ that comes late into understanding, will provide an opportunity to imagine the diverse possibilities that lie behind a single ‘event’.

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