Mineki Murata focuses on the origin of the human act of "drawing" (kaku in Japanese), creating works based on the multiple meanings contained in this word. For Murata, "kaku" is an act where four aspects overlap: "consciousness = writing," "result = depicting," "action = scratching," and "latency = lacking." With this concept in mind, he has explored the moments and processes when "drawing" emerges through drawings and performances.
In this exhibition, Murata will present an installation from his new series fragment, created using wood scraps generated during the production process. Additionally, he will exhibit his first ceramic work series Trace of line, which allows visitors to actually touch and experience the "holes" and "traces" that Murata has repeatedly produced throughout his creative practice.
The venue will feature a BAR counter made by the artist himself as a space for visitors to face Murata directly. Through the dialogue exchanged there and the relationships born from sharing time, the exhibition attempts to integrate performance and drawing works into a unified whole.
Mineki Murata "BAR"
- Exhibition Period: January 17 (Sat) to February 7 (Sat), 2026
- Hours: 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM
- Reception: January 17 (Sat) 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
- Venue: void+ 3-16-14 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 1F
- Organizer: Azone+Associates / void+
- Closed: Sundays and Mondays
- Inquiries: info@voidplus.jp
- Website: https://www.voidplus.jp
Performance "pressure" Schedule
During the weekends of the exhibition period, Murata will hold the performance pressure, where he faces the audience one-on-one. This format, which minimizes the distance between the artist and the viewer, offers an opportunity to experience the process in which the work is created through mutual interaction between the artist and the audience.
Performance Details:
- Dates: January 23 (Fri), 24 (Sat), 30 (Fri), 31 (Sat), February 6 (Fri), 7 (Sat)
- Time: 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM (held continuously)
- Fee: ¥1,000 (includes one drink)
- Format: One-on-one performance, approximately 5 minutes per person
I am a performance artist.
Performance is the act of thinking and reacting through one's own body. By sharpening my physical sensations, I painstakingly unravel inconvenient objects and situations before me through drawing and performance.
Drawing is not merely a trace of performance but also a part of performance itself.
I performed in an empty studio, and after some time, layered performance upon performance again.
As I came to create works while moving between consciousness and unconsciousness, I began to think that my work is the "fixation" of performance. Rather than something that has passed, I came to consider that there is an accumulation of time and actions that touched it.
The creative act is very rough—I grip a ballpoint pen tightly and scribble strong circular strokes like when I make a mistake writing characters. Despite the showiness of the action, the finished work exudes quietness. This is certainly a virtue, but I also wonder if the performance is not fully conveyed.
Can I create the sensation of sharing that space with the audience, as in performance, through drawing works? I will attempt an exhibition that adds sensory elements to be experienced, not just viewed.
Also, contrasting or similar elements—performance and works, consciousness and unconsciousness, language and non-language, commercial and alternative, past and present—have not merely struggled in the interstices but have influenced each other.
The holes that I have abundantly produced in my creation can also be considered as interstices of depth. I will depict the intricately intertwined interstices.
I will perform one-on-one performances on weekends. I hope you can take home sensations that are not usually obtainable.
Mineki Murata 2026.1
Mineki Murata
Born in Gunma Prefecture in 1979, lives in Maebashi City. Graduated from Tama Art University, Department of Sculpture, Faculty of Fine Arts in 2005. Major solo exhibitions include "Tortoise" at Art Center Ongoing (Tokyo, 2025), "a mirror of yourself" at Shop rin art association (Tokyo, 2025), and "Position" at Second 2. (Tokyo, 2024). Major group exhibitions include "Close to the Body, Close to the Voice: Tatsuya Kobayashi x Mineki Murata" at gallery 10 [TOH] (Tokyo, 2025), "New Collection Exhibition" at Museum of Modern Art, Gunma (Gunma, 2024), and "Collectors III Turning the World" at Fukuoka Art Museum (Fukuoka, 2024). His works are in public collections at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art, Gunma.
