knowns, unknowns and (ir)reversible

Norimichi Hirakawa (JP)
exhibition, 2017

Norimichi Hirakawa’s first individual exhibition in Poland brings together already existing works and two brand new installation developed during the artist’s residency at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo specially for the presentation at WRO Art Center. All installations are driven by algorithms, enabling creation with logical operations towards a sensation of “truth”, universal for intelligence or fundamental in the universe (or multiverse).

Norimichi Hirakawa (JP), born in 1982, is recognised as one of the most intriguing Japanese media artists of the young generation. Working at the intersection of arts and science, he designs generative installations and performative actions. Formally reticent as a rule, Hirakawa’s works are mostly outcomes of complex algorithmic processing and analyses of varied data, ranging from visual and audio to mathematical and more abstract data describing theoretical or real physical processes.

Vigorously engaging in several projects, Hirakawa collaborates with such artists as, for example, Ryoji Ikeda, Seiko Mikami and Yoshihide Otomo. Together with Kumiko Noguchi he forms a performance duo called Typingmonkeys. He also serves as Artistic Director of the Art and Satellite Project (ARTSAT).

Hirakawa’s works have been shown worldwide at modern art exhibitions and media art festivals. He is a recipient of multiple awards, including the Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Art Festival (2004) and the Award of Distinction for interactive art at the Prix Ars Electronica (2008).

Hirakawa’s exhibition in Wroclaw is funded by the Japan Foundation, EU-Japan Fest Committee, Nomura Foundation and Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe at the University of Tokyo.

Exhibition in the series titled Reversible // Irreversible // Presence presents contemporary media art from Japan. It is spread over the years 2016-2017 and intertwined with two media art events: the ECO EXPANDED CITY exhibitions-cum-workshops project prepared for the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 and the 17th Media Art Biennale WRO 2017 DRAFT SYSTEMS.