Exhibitions
Yonaoshi
Huhtamaki Wab’s new solo show ‘Yonaoshi’ opens at MIRROR this March. Join us for the opening event on Thursday 17 March from 5 – 7pm.
"Yonaoshi" comes from kanji, a Japanese writing system of symbols that represent words or ideas. "Yo", meaning world or society and "naoshi", meaning renewal. In Japanese mythology the term Yonaoshi has also been attributed to a giant catfish called the Namazu that causes earthquakes.
After a devastating earthquake in 1855, woodblock prints were circulated of Edo people enacting their revenge on the Namazu. As the working classes had to rebuild the city and could charge far more for this work than previously; the elite had to stop hoarding their wealth. With this, prints started to depict images of the working classes celebrating with the Namazu. This mythical creature of destruction now became a symbol of good fortune and with Edo’s reconstruction a symbol for renewal.
At a time in which society lives with a constant threat of ecological collapse, the concept of ‘world renewal’ is increasingly present. Wab explores our relationship to the idea of world renewal throughout the exhibition, taking imagery of the Namazu from Edo woodblock prints and our relationship with the more-than-human as a starting point.
Through a wide scope of techniques that inform the visual language of “Yonaoshi”, Wab ties seemingly disparate references, scales and locations to create a web of relations that reflects on our place in this world.
After a devastating earthquake in 1855, woodblock prints were circulated of Edo people enacting their revenge on the Namazu. As the working classes had to rebuild the city and could charge far more for this work than previously; the elite had to stop hoarding their wealth. With this, prints started to depict images of the working classes celebrating with the Namazu. This mythical creature of destruction now became a symbol of good fortune and with Edo’s reconstruction a symbol for renewal.
At a time in which society lives with a constant threat of ecological collapse, the concept of ‘world renewal’ is increasingly present. Wab explores our relationship to the idea of world renewal throughout the exhibition, taking imagery of the Namazu from Edo woodblock prints and our relationship with the more-than-human as a starting point.
Through a wide scope of techniques that inform the visual language of “Yonaoshi”, Wab ties seemingly disparate references, scales and locations to create a web of relations that reflects on our place in this world.
CREDIT
