Rei Naito: come and live - go and live

Tokyo National Museum is pleased to present the exhibition entitled Rei Naito: come and live - go and live from Tuesday, June 25, 2024, to Monday, September 23, 2024.

Light and shadows created by the sun; water and stones from the earth; wind and rain from the atmosphere. By embracing the elements of nature and the small things of everyday life, artist Rei Naito has gazed at the scenery existing in the overlooked corners of the world and at subtle, minute phenomena. She has created “primordial scenes of life” through this process. Her meticulously conceived works invite visitors to delve into their own states of contemplation.

This exhibition was conceived through Naito’s encounter with the Tokyo National Museum, founded some 150 years ago, and its collection and architectural spaces. Transcending 10,000 years of history, Naito found a human spirit that resonates with her own work in the clay objects of the Jomon period. These objects were born out of awe and prayer directed at nature and human existence, in which Naito found “compassion permeating inside and outside of life.” Each clay object, its creation prompted by the necessities of life, seems to convey the true nature of human beings. The exhibition spaces illuminated by natural light will evoke the realms of life and death that once existed together with the sun and the intimate harmony that endured between humans and nature as well as humans and other living beings.

Naito’s work, which finds life in color, stories in landscapes, and prayer in light, reminds us of the creative endeavors that have filled our world since ancient times. In her work, one can see the pursuit of creation, a process repeatedly undertaken by humanity, and the desire for life, which has formed a connection with the present. The exhibition spaces, where interactions transcend space and time, are wider than space and deeper than time, providing an opportunity to feel the certainty of invisible existence and inaudible voices. Through this exhibition, we invite you to experience the spirituality and creative power that connects us with the people of ancient times.

Rei Naito
Naito was born in Hiroshima in 1961 and currently works in Tokyo. She has been creating works based on the question of, “Is our existence on the Earth a blessing in itself?” In her work, life and death are explored as something inseparable. She has been creating installations that find “scenes of our Earth-bound existence” through natural phenomena such as light, air, water, and gravity.

Her notable solo exhibitions include: One Place on the Earth (Sagacho Exhibit Space, Tokyo, 1991); One Place on the Earth (The Japan Pavilion, 47th Venice Biennale, 1997), Being Called (Karmeliterkloster, Frankfurt am Main, 1997); Tout animal est dans le monde comme de l’eau à l’intérieur de l’eau (The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura, 2009), the emotion of belief (Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Tokyo, 2014); the emotion of belief (The Japan Cultural Institute in Paris, 2017; Two Lives (Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, 2017); on the bright Earth I see you (Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki, 2018); Mirror Creation (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (2020); and breath (Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München, Munich, 2023). Naito’s permanent installations include: Being given (Kinza, Art House Project, Naoshima, Kagawa, 2001) and Matrix (Teshima Art Museum, Teshima, Kagawa, 2010).

Organized by Tokyo National Museum.
Special Support from Fondation d’entreprise Hermès.
Cooperation from Taka Ishii Gallery.

Click here to read the full press release.
Media Inquiries: naitorei-tnm@ypcpr.com