Polaris

Water Spirits

by Yuko Moriyama

Water Spirits
Polaris the Art Stage　　
29 October (Sat)- 11 December 2005 (Sun)

Kita-Kamakura is one of my favourite places. I feel the existence of something spiritual. On this land, endowed with rich in clear spring water, people chose to build many spiritual institutions such as Buddhist temples from the ancient past. I am very happy to be given this opportunity to have an exhibition here.

The title of this exhibition "Water Spirits" was taken from a small work by Arther F. Becker at an exhibition "Beyond Reason - Art and Psychosis, Works from the Prinzhorn Collection" which I saw at Hayward Gallery in London in 1996. Prinzhorn Collection comprises from art works collected by Hans Prinzhorn (1886 - 1933) and others in Heidelberg in Germany at the beginning of 20th Century . Prinzhorn was an Art Historian as well as a Psychiatrist. In 1921 he published a book entitled "Bildnerei der Geisteskranken (Expressions of Insanity)" which is said to have had a wide influence on European Artists during the inter war period between the First and Second World Wars, such as Paul Klee and Oskar Schlemmer, and then after the Second World War, on American Artists. At this exhibition, there were many works, including numerous pencil drawings. Despite their apparant naive expressions, it was very moving experience to these works because I felt that the images were honest representations of something beep in their minds.

Water Spirits
I was sitting in bed, then out of the water came just sort of - how shall I say? - sort of beasties, and my mother was one of them. They were half humans, half animals; I saw that quite clearly. There was some witchcraft in it. I think my mother was trying to pull me into the water, and perhaps that way I would have been taken out of this world - when I lie still, it still happens now and them. - In the air I see it, it's best in twilight.
Arther F. Becker

A human body consists of 60% water. Our brain is 80% and the retina is 92% water. Therefore, it can be said that we see through water, we think in water and we live in water.

"Solaris" (1972) is one of my favourite films. It was directed by Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-86) and based on a novel by Polish writer, Stanislaw Lem (1921 - ). Solaris is a mysterious planet covered by a vast sentient colloidal Ocean. It is like a large brain floating in the space. The main character, Psychologists, Kris Kelvin was sent to the Solaris to investigate the problems on the space station there. The story unfolds on this space station. Kris's dead wife who committed suicide many years before, and whose death he blames himself, appears before him. It was created and sent to him by the Ocean of Solaris. The Solaris searches something hidden deep in his mind and recreates it and sends him into confusion and emotional turmoil. Perhaps the water I am trying to draw is somewhat similar to the Ocean of Solaris. Water reflects one's mind. I close my eyes in a moment of quietness, then see waterscape in my mind. This may be sentient water, just like the Ocean of Solaris. it is crystal clear with infinite expanse. At other times, It is sometimes very dark and frightening. It is my intention to express such water scenes in my work.

It is thought that "Art" has been existed from the very early stage of human history. The paintings in the cave of Lascaux, created nearly 17,000 years ago, are not beautiful but also make one feel the spiritual existence. Since the ancient past "Art" has always been a very important mean to represent the human soul which can not be expressed in words. To myself, "Art" is a way of expressing something deep in my mind which can not otherwise be exposed and I would like to share the experience of this with a viewer.

The main volume of this exhibition consists of pencil drawings. I like the simplicity of pencil on paper. The pencil drawings at the Prinzhorn Collection made me realize the wide vercitility of the expression. It is one of my challenges to see how deep I can go in my works using these seemingly familiar materials. In a Physics lesson when I was at school, I was very impressed by the Newton's law of Motion, F=ma (F=force, m=mass, a=acceleration) because I was told that by using this simple formula, one can go to the Moon. I think it is very beautiful when something apparently simple contains very deep meaning within. So it is my aim to go somewhere deep inside by using pencil on paper.

Small blueprints are Cyanotypes, an old photographic process invented by English Mathematician/Astronomer, John Herschel (1972 - 1971) in 1842. Its characterized by the beautiful Prussian blue. However, because its colour, it was mainly used for engineering drawings until well into the 20the century. I make these prints from the contact negatives created from computer manipulated digital images of water. It is interesting to create different faces of water which can not be represented in pencil.

Lastly, I would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Tokura for the help and kindness, who gave me this opportunity to exhibit at Polaris the Art Stage.

Yuko Moriyama
September 2005