Exhibitions | MAKI Gallery | MAKI

We are pleased to present, Kuu / 空, a solo exhibition by New York-based artist, Miya Ando at MAKI Gallery / Tennoz, Tokyo.
Ando uses a variety of materials to depict clouds and other natural phenomena that appear to have form but are essentially formless, as well as nature and the sense of its presence. She is of American and Japanese parentage, and has inherited both cultures. Her worldview has been influenced by Buddhism, particularly due to her childhood experiences in Okayama Prefecture, where her grandfather was the head monk of a Buddhist temple.
Ando’s metal paintings of ever-changing, ephemeral phenomena, such as clouds, seem to draw us into the depths of her thought. Ando explains that metal momentarily reflects light, depending on the angle from which it is viewed, and that one can see in this the fleeting nature of existence. By having these metals coexist alongside other materials, such as wood, cloth and paper, Ando transforms the richness and fragility of nature into art. Inspired by these Buddhist ideas, her unique view of nature speaks to us as we wander between the material and the spiritual, telling us that this is the universal human condition.
Just as the title of this exhibition, ‘Kuu / 空’, and its various meanings ― non-existence, the sky or an emptiness that can contain everything ― suggest, the space of the gallery is filled with the water, earth, wood, fire, sky, cloud, vapor, forest, moon and galaxies that Ando creates. This year, many museums, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), have decided to acquire her work for their collections. We are delighted to introduce an artist who is gaining such recognition worldwide and we invite you to take this opportunity to fully experience her art.