Exhibition by Artist Mahina Art Okinawa ‘Coordinates of Fluctuation’
For approximately two weeks, from September 16 to 30, THE LIVELY TOKYO AZABUJUBAN will showcase works by Mahina Art Okinawa in the hotel’s second-floor lounge.
The concept of this exhibition is “Coordinates of Fluctuation.” It explores the idea that each person’s state of mind can be seen as a “coordinate,” and that when people—and the works they create—each carrying their own sense of fluctuation come together, a harmonious landscape can emerge for the first time.
“Mahina Art Okinawa” is an abstract artist born and based in Okinawa who also works in spatial design and commissioned art. With “harmony” as a central theme, Mahina creates abstract works using a variety of media, including acrylic paint, sand, and glass, exploring the intersections of yin and yang, light and shadow. At the core of the artist’s practice is the idea of “communicating the concept of a space through the five senses.” Rather than serving simply as decoration, the works visualize the atmosphere and stories inherent to each space, and have brought character to a range of hotels, offices, and private residences. During this program, the artist will also stay at THE LIVELY TOKYO AZABUJUBAN and undertake a residency-style creative process, producing new works inspired by the experience of staying at the hotel.
The exhibition will feature three new large-scale works, each approximately 90 × 110 cm, along with several works suspended from the ceiling. The lounge shelves will also display 44 newly commissioned works from the participatory project “Filling a Whole Wall with Everyone’s Colors.” These works are based on the theme “Coordinates of Fluctuation”—the idea that each person’s state of mind can be likened to a “coordinate,” and that when people carrying their own fluctuations come together, a single harmonious landscape emerges.
A concept shared across Mahina’s work is “Grayish,” a word meaning “somewhat gray.” It encompasses ambiguity, the absence of boundaries, an approach that does not seek to define things simply as black or white, as well as yin and yang, negativity and positivity. As the artist explains:
“I use ‘grayish colors,’ created by mixing colors that sit opposite one another on the color wheel, as a way of reflecting this world—which is ambiguous and abstract yet harmonious—and myself.”
Some of the works will also be available for purchase during the exhibition. Mahina will be present at the hotel on six days during the exhibition period: September 15, 16, 17 (morning only), 29 (afternoon only), and 30, as well as October 1, the installation and removal day. There will also be opportunities to meet and interact with the artist, making this a valuable chance to learn more about the works and the background behind their creation. On September 16, Jupi, a crystal bowl (singing bowl) musician and a friend of Mahina, is also scheduled to perform during the hotel’s free beer hour from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
“Art × Community” is a concept that THE LIVELY TOKYO AZABUJUBAN has long valued, and one that resonates with Mahina Art Okinawa’s approach to encountering the landscapes, emotions, human connections, and sense of time found while traveling through a dialogue with art. Through this exhibition, the two worlds come together, transforming the hotel space itself into a place to experience art.
At the heart of THE LIVELY HOTELS is a mission to reclaim the role of hotels as “landmarks of the neighborhood”—places where not only guests, but also many others can gather and connect. Alongside collaborations with artists such as this one, THE LIVELY TOKYO AZABUJUBAN continues to organize a variety of events.
For approximately two weeks, the sensibility of Mahina will meet the space of THE LIVELY TOKYO AZABUJUBAN. The exhibition will be on view in the second-floor lounge from September 16 to 30.
Please feel free to check out our Instagram posts as well!
THE LIVELY TOKYO AZABUJUBAN
THE LIVELY TOKYO AZABUJUBAN
- Address: 1 Chome-5-23 Azabujuban, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan 106-0045
- Access:
- 3-minute walk from Azabu-juban Station on the Namboku Line and Toei Subway Oedo Line
- 10 minutes walk from “Roppongi” station (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line / Toei Subway OedoLine)