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Walking into Pearl Lam Galleries, it’s inevitable for eyes to be drawn to a dim open room divided into several spaces by vast white bead curtains. It emanates a mysterious vibe, but for some reason audiences lined up refuse to walk in. Upon closer inspection, the reason is clear: the curtains are actually the core installation.
‘Rice Deity’ is composed of thousands of strings of rice, three to four meters long, suspended from the entire ceiling of an old Japanese house with used utensils and farming equipment scattered around the floor. It was created by Sayaka Ishizuka and utilizes rice from the Echigo region, known in Japan for its premium quality. The piece is a central highlight for Life Threads, her first solo exhibition outside Japan, which runs until August 8.
“Rice is something we eat, probably for all our lives,” she says. “We live off it, so we should worship it. All those threads hanging from the ceiling down to the utensils on the ground symbolize the cycle of life.
“What I am trying to deliver through this exhibition is about life and connection. All these chopsticks here are collected from different households where I was working. Some were donated by friends and a few I collected from Shanghai markets. You see, these tiny things link us all.”
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Born in Shizuoka, Japan, the 34-year-old artist graduated from the Painting Department of Joshibi University of Art and Design in 2004, before abandoning the practice because she felt confined by its limitations.
She gradually evolved into an acclaimed installation artist whose works have been featured in prestigious Japanese exhibitions like Setouchi Triennial and Echigo-Tsum ari Art Triennial.
Wearing a yellow kimono with a quiet smile during the exhibition’s busy opening day, Ishizuka reflects on the piece’s origin.
“I was inspired during one of my stays in the countryside. Local people treated me with real common food – rice balls wrapped with sea weed and sprinkled with a bit of salt. I was shocked that something so simple could have such impressive taste. It made me want to do something to share and celebrate the beauty of simplicity.”
That simple message has spread to the uber-metropolis that is Shanghai. Despite coming across a couple of difficult incidents while installing the exhibition, she describes this experience as “quite refreshing,” adding jokingly, “even the air I breathe.”
// Until Aug 23, 10.30am-7pm. Pearl Lam
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