Takahiro Iwasaki
Sculptor Takahiro Iwasaki is working with snow hydrologist Pertti Ala-aho (Professor, University of Oulu) to create delicate, miniature forms that capture the magic of nature. Set in Ylikiiminki, connected to its long-standing tradition with tar, his work will reference local architectural shapes, an example of how each installation will celebrate the historic and cultural significance of their location.
Bio
Takahiro Iwasaki transforms everyday materials such as toothbrushes, towels, bookmarks, and duct tapes into pylons, cranes, and delicate landscapes, which invite viewers to look at things from various perspectives by changing the familiar household items into different objects.
Towers made of towel threads built on randomly stacked towels remind us the pylons on mountains, and cranes made of bookmarks on books trick us to see the scenery of under construction buildings. He also has another series, ‘Reflection Model’. Those are detailed precise wooden made three-dimensional representation of traditional Japanese architectures, which are unified with the reflection on the surface of the water. The behind story of creating fragile sceneries came from a fact that a city of Hiroshima was once completely destroyed by an atomic bomb, these works evoke an actual fact of the city where he still lives and works was 180 degrees turned from the center of military operation city into the City of Peace after reconstruction, which his works could be also interpreted as his perception of time. In 2017, Iwasaki was selected to represent Japan and created a ‘Turned Upside Down, It’s a Forest’, at the Japanese Pavilion in the 57th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (2017).
Gallery: ANOMALY
Co-director Mutsumi Urano
u@anomalytokyo.com
On the beach at Ylikiiminki, Iwasaki’s installation is inspired by both Oulu’s tar-making heritage and the research of snow hydrologist Associate Professor Pertti Ala-Aho (University of Oulu). Inside a 3-metre-high traditional wooden barrel, visitors will peer through small openings to discover hundreds of delicate symmetrical snowflakes – which resemble the architecture of the local church designed by Jacob Rijf, an eighteenth century Ostrobothnian church builder – illuminated in the dark. Entitled Architectural Snowflakes: Letters from Heaven – a quote by Japanese scientist Ukichiro Nakaya – Iwasaki’s work transforms the barrel into a celestial observatory, linking the fragility of snow and light with Oulu’s cultural and natural heritage.
Climate Clock public art trail will launch in June 2026.