Zou-no-Hana Terrace

Hiroko Kubo draws inspiration from prehistoric and folk art as well as cultural anthropology in creating sculptures with everyday materials. Zou-no-hana Park will serve as the venue for her ‘Statue of Hainuwele’, a likeness of the goddess who in Indonesian folklore becomes the origin of food by way of her slain body. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kubo started focusing on fundamental, primal subjects, seeking inspiration in the ancient myths of Japan and prehistoric art such as Jomon pottery. This interest shines through in ‘Hainuwele’, a fragmented statue made of mud, whose surface will change during the exhibition period as it gets exposed to the elements. You can watch Kubo put the finishing touches on her piece on April 13 and 14. The former day also features a workshop, during which anyone’s welcome to help sculpt the artwork. A conversation between the artist and mythology scholar Kikuko Hirafuji will be held on April 29, the last day of the exhibition.

‘Seven Seeds’ is a collaborative project by Port Journeys, an international cultural exchange initiative by artists based in port cities around the world and promoted by Zou-no-hana Terrace, the venue of this exhibition. Hoping to make sense of today’s ‘tumultuous’ world, the show will seek to convey seven messages to future generations through artistic means. In addition to Hamburg-based conceptual artist Michael Kress’s video and sound installation ‘I Was’, a work centring on ‘messages from the future’ by 21 women active in the Yokohama art scene, the exhibition will feature artworks in a wide range of media touching on subjects including sustainability and ecological concerns, democracy, cultural participation and artificial intelligence.