traversing

mayumi nakazaki en miku sato

20 October 2024 - 2 November 2024

On October 20, Bradwolff Projects in Amsterdam East will open the duo exhibition “Traversing” featuring Mayumi Nakazaki and Miku Sato. In this collaboration, the two Japanese artists explore the impact of war on memory and identity, both past and present. The opening will take place from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

The exhibition showcases two video installations. Mayumi Nakazaki’s “Mapping” connects three women from different parts of the world in conversations about war, home, and identity. The walls are adorned with world maps crafted from masking tape. Miku Sato’s “Book and Fire” features three women and a robot preparing a Ukrainian dish based on a recipe from a Soviet-era cookbook. The space is further filled with ceramics, vintage cookbooks, and a robotic hand, contributing to a participatory and contemplative atmosphere. Visitors are invited to move around and reflect on the echoes of war in contemporary society.

Nakazaki and Sato share a clear vision: to reinterpret war stories within their historical contexts. Japan, as the only country to have experienced atomic bombings, holds a unique position. The Japanese constitution, particularly Article 9, which renounces war as a sovereign right, is currently under pressure in today’s geopolitical climate. The artists approach the ongoing reality of war from this cultural perspective, exploring new possibilities for coexistence among people, nature, and technology.

Mayumi Nakazaki and Miku Sato are multimedia artists investigating the connections between memory, space, and storytelling. Nakazaki graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and the Rijksakademie, focusing on the relationship between memory and imagination. Sato earned her bachelor’s degree in painting from Musashino Art University and her Master’s in Film and New Media from the Tokyo University of the Arts. Since 2019, she has been working in Amsterdam as a fellow of the Japanese Government Overseas Study Program for Artists, focusing on field research and collaboration with local communities.

Together, Nakazaki and Sato challenge conventional storytelling methods and invite the audience to delve into the complex layers of history and human experience.

image: film still Mayumi Nakazaki