Residing in the United Kingdom has made the Japanese artist Noriko Okaku aware of the importance of initiating individuality and establishing mutual understanding of social diversity. Her observations consider how personal memories form into the imagination and how this process realizes singularity. Explorations of fictionizing, such as surrealistic and mythic scenery, combine with visible objects and invisible sensibilities while extending to the technique of collage. This presents a possibility of diversified perspectives that intends to enrich compassion between the self and others. Incorporating animation, audiovisual performance, installation, and everyday materials, she examines the relations and sensations between the object and observer.
"I kind of knew that I can not control what happens.
I am always an observer.
I can only recognize what is happening in front of me (and decide what it means to me)
But at least, I think I have the freedom to choose if I want to stay in the same place or move on.
We are always in uncertain strange time"
Noriko Okaku London, United Kingdom. April 2, 2020
Eternal Return (2019-2020)
videoThis is an expanded version of Eternal Return (2019). The original work, an illustration with ouroboros on a wooden panel with a QR code, was commissioned by Geek Love Project, exhibited at TIT centennial hall, Tokyo. For this STRANGE TIME project, I used my laptop screen as a canvas and created a collage work, including Eternal Return (2019), as a central piece of work.
I am sharing the uncontrollable desktop screen with the viewer for suggesting a similar situation of what we are facing right now in terms of Corona virus. Especially, I thought using a desktop screen is quite a symbolic element since people must be using computers most of their time during the quarantine period. But there is a chance for the observer to take the initiative to get out of the situation. Only active viewers can move onto the next dimension, but it’s all up to them. However, we witness everything happens and repeat without our control. Additionally, from there on, we acknowledge the fact that we need cooperation from others to go forward.
Noriko Okaku, artist