Shoji Kato: Unbroken

Pyhän Henrikin Ekumeenisessa Taidekappelissa Turussa on kesäkuussa 2021 esillä kansainvälisen tason taidenäyttely, Shoji Katon installaatio “Unbroken”.

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Unbroken is a new art installation by Shoji Kato, a Japanese artist based in Helsinki. The artist brings sculptural elements into St. Henry´s Ecumenical Art Chapel, Pyhän Henrikin Ekumeeninen Taidekappeli, and works with the sacredness dwelling in the place. The artist previously met Matti Sanaksenaho, the architect of the chapel, and talked about the phenomenological and philosophical aspects of the architecture. Kato learned about Sanaksenaho’s original inspirations for the design of the chapel and one of his primal ideas of timelessness. With these inspirations, Kato conceptualised a non-anthropocentric situation and decided to juxtapose new layers of spacing and poetic context into the different parts of the chapel, including the alter. The artist blends ephemeral and earthy elements, and aims to create a moment of encounter – something quietly moving and assuring.

The work Unbroken consists of different materials and motifs (rose gold on cast silver, silk fabrics and drill core samples from Onkalo), suggesting different kinds of bodies and time scales that are seemingly static yet still change. This work is a sister work of Kato’s public artwork, Kalpa | Bedrock | Fibroin, that was installed at Educity in Kupittaa in 2020.

This exhibition and production of Unbroken is supported by The Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike).

Thank you:
Gabriel de la Cruz, Tero Hannonen / Au3 Goldsmiths, Ville Mäkikoskela, Posiva Oy, Kim & Maria Raiskinen / K. Raiskinen Oy, Matti Sanaksenaho, Annett Seidel / Plauener Seidenweberei GmbH, Lauri Vainio, Kaisa Viitasalo

Opening 3.6.2021 18.00

Lisätiedot, haastattelupyynnöt ja painokelpoiset kuvat / Contact information:
Shoji Kato +358 44 3456 460, shojikato@yahoo.com, www.shoji-kato.com

Installation with rose gold on cast silver, drill core samples from Onkalo* (Olkiluoto), silk fabrics
* Onkalo is located on the south-western coast of Finland. It is a construction site for the world first geological repository for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel.