Yoshi Nakamura: The various rains converge on the sea
This solo exhibition by artist Yoshi Nakamura is at its core an exploration of the borders and limits of communication between disabled and non-disabled people, a longstanding focus of the artist’s work. Nakamura has been curious about the relationships between sound, color, and language since his first cochlear implant in 2012; considering the striking ways that natural materials interact with sound technology, ultimately testing the viewer’s notion of visuospatial and audio-spatial language.
In this project, Nakamura poses a question to the viewer: can we communicate through sound and vibration? To answer, he devised a sensory exploration and collaboration between hearing and hearing- impaired people, using four sound instruments, wires, musical scores, and masks for the musicians. The name of the exhibition, “The various rains converge on the sea,” is a beautiful metaphor for the artist’s intentions: the ‘various rains’ implies the diversity that exists within communication, while ‘the sea’ is the convergence, the unification of communication shared between disabled and non-disabled people. The hope is that throughout this interactive exhibition, visitors will harmonize in unexpected ways.
Sometimes a creative approach is necessary for people to cast aside differences, and Nakamura hopes this exhibition will provide its visitors a unique opportunity to reflect on how others think, feel, and perceive.
Yoshi Nakamura has worked in sculpture, painting, installation, and sound art in Baltimore and Cincinnati since graduating from Maryland Institute College of Art, Mount Royal School of Art (MFA 2020) and Tokyo University of the Arts in Japanese painting (PhD 2015).
Transcript of the artist introduction in English and Japanese
“Thank you for visiting this exhibition. My name is Yoshi Nakamura and I come from Japan. With this exhibition is the realization that we are many people and my goal is to show our diversity and connect us through music and art. This appreciation of our multitudes is presented in my artworks and expressed through my sound instruments, scores, masks and video. That these sounds are made by a deaf person I hope further emphasizes the theme of voices being heard.
This is an experimental project inspired by Noh theater. The Noh was established in 14-15 th century Japan it is a traditional theater, from a country surrounded by water. My initial plan was to hold an outdoor concert because of COVID-19. In addition, I got this concert idea from Mark Harris's project. If you are interested in this performance, you can see the video on my website.
Thank you to Megan, Billy, her assistants and Loyola University. I was worried about COVID - 19 and we had many limitations, but with the help of Megan we got through it. Please enjoy the exhibition and I would appreciate any feedback through Facebook or my website.”
皆さんこんにちは、私の名前はヨシです。
展示会にご来場いただき、誠にありがとうございます。
この展示の目標はサウンドとアートを通して人々をつなぐことであり、私たちの周りに存在する人々の多様性に焦点を当てています。
この多様性に関する手がかりとして、またこのテーマを強調するため、ろう者としての私の個性を生かした楽器、スコア、マスク、そしてビデオにて表現しています。
また、このパフォーマンスは、“能”に触発された実験的なプロジェクトです。能は14〜15世紀ころに日本で設立された美しい日本の伝統芸能です。
私の当初の計画は、コロナのため野外コンサートを開催することでした。しかし、さまざまな事情によりギャラリーでの展示に限ることになりました。
さらに、このコンサートは、シンシナティ大学の教授であるマークハリスによるプロジェクトからアイデアを得ています。もしこのパフォーマンスに興味があれば、私のウェブサイトにてビデオをご覧いただくことができます。
最後に、この展示にあたりメーガンさん、ビリーさん、彼女のアシスタントの皆様、そしてロヨラ大学に感謝いたします。コロナにより、多くの困難がありましたが、メーガンさんのおかげで無事に展示を開催することができました。
それでは、展示会をお楽しみください。Facebook、または私のウェブサイトを通じてフィードバックをいただければ幸いです。
よろしくお願いいたします。