Legendary Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda has brought his audio-visual explorations to the subterranean Amos Rex museum in Helsinki, Finland. Eponymously titled, the solo show comprises of five installations, including two new works, that probe into the invisible dimensions of the universe and push the limits of perception.
Based between Kyoto and Paris, Ikeda’s imprint can be traced back to the 1980s, where he started his career as a DJ, sound engineer and composer. This foundation in the electronic scene permeates to his current fine art practice, where he utilizes data to create rhythmic audio-visual installations that pulsate like the backdrop of a techno set, but investigate often paradoxical facets of life in an attempt to realign our understanding or reality.
Several of the works on view are based on data retrieved from the extensive archives of NASA, Human Genome Project, CERN, and more. As with many of his past projects, Ikeda purposefully designs his pieces to interact with the space in which he exhibits in, which at Amos Rex, pits visitors in a cavernous dimly-lit interior that heightens the senses. Never one to categorize himself, Ikeda treats music and visuals equally and strives to impart his installations with an ambiguity that allows viewers to “charge meaning” for themselves.
The exhibition opened in September and will be on view until February 25, 2024.
In related news, Studio DRIFT will open their very own museum in 2025.
Amos Rex
Mannerheimintie 22-24
00100 Helsinki, Finland
