World AIDS Day 2010 Special Project Art Against AIDS: What Art Can Do About AIDS Yoshiaki Kaihatsu: Pyramid—In Memory of Keith Haring’s 20th Anniversary
Hosted by: CMIC Holdings Co., Ltd.
Organized by: Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
Supported by: Yamanashi Prefecture, Hokuto City, Hokuto City Board of Education
In Cooperation with: Living Together Project, Keith Haring Foundation
Marking the 20th anniversary of Keith Haring’s passing, I was honored to receive an invitation from the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection. I had visited the museum several times over the past two years with friends, and I was consistently amazed by its outstanding collection—my initial assumptions about it being just another small museum near the Fuji Five Lakes were entirely wrong. The fact that such a remarkable collection exists in Kobuchizawa, Yamanashi, is truly something to be proud of (even if it’s not mine).
The museum’s journey begins from the parking lot, passing through a forest to reach the main building. As someone who had visited before, I had long envisioned creating a passageway made of Styrofoam through the forest leading to the museum. For this special exhibition marking Haring’s 20th anniversary, I decided to incorporate an element inspired by Haring. Instead of focusing on his iconic faceless figures or barking dogs, I was drawn to the relatively obscure motif of the pyramid, which lingered in my mind.
For this exhibition, I will create a pyramid. Surrounding Haring’s characters, you often see radiating lines, which could be interpreted as them “speaking.” Similarly, pyramids in his works are also depicted with radiating lines. I saw this as a metaphor for light and decided to project videos by three artists whose works relate to life, death, and AIDS onto the pyramid. I am personally excited to see this project come to fruition and look forward to welcoming you to the exhibition.
ARTIST PROFILE
Yoshiaki Kaihatsu
Born in 1966 in Yamanashi Prefecture. Graduated from Tama Art University’s Graduate School of Fine Arts. After returning to Japan from Germany in 2007, Kaihatsu has been active in Yamanashi while lecturing at Tama Art University and participating in numerous exhibitions in Japan and abroad.
Exhibitions:
• Jump Ship Rat “POP-UP,” Liverpool Biennial (2008)
• Making a Home, Japan Society, New York (2007)
• Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2006
• Venice Biennale 9th International Architecture Exhibition (2004)
• Organizer of “Thank You Art Day” held annually on March 9.
INSTALLATION VIEW
FEATURED ARTWORKS
Pak Sheung Chuen
Jeroen Kooijmans, Hell creatures in drawing house, 2010
Elisabeth Smolarz, FREUND HEIN, 2007
RELATED EVENTS
Date: Saturday, December 18, 2010
• Artist Talk by Yoshiaki Kaihatsu: Kaihatsu will discuss his creative process and the inspirations behind the “Pyramid” project dedicated to Keith Haring’s 20th anniversary.
• Live Performance by “t(k y)t”: A special live performance by the soft-noise band “t(k y)t,” featuring Yoshiaki Kaihatsu and Toshiaki Takayasu.
Venue: Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
