Artist Statement →
The work »Ko Murobushi« comprises a photo series of and an installation for Ko Murobushi, an acclaimed Butoh artist. Butoh, influenced by European expressionism, shifted traditional dance to the artistic avant-garde of 20th century postwar Japan. Working with Ko as a dancer and photographer from the early 90s, I experienced the transmutation of the human body into other forms, such as those of animals. There is a poetic and surreal choreographic language to help the dancer transform into other states of being. The photo series displays the insights Butoh provides for society, mirroring its inherent, complex seismic ruptures. The art installation was built for a memorial night shortly after Ko passed away in 2015. It depicts the balance of our physical reality and the supernatural through river stones, either lifted up in air or placed solidly on the ground, touching an elevated space.