Yamakano “Mountain Wishes Come True”
Curated by: Arieh Rosen
fujiyoshida, Japan
2023
Nelly Agassi, the renowned Chicago-based multi-disciplinary artist, has formed a unique bond with the old Yamakano building, where her first large-scale exhibition in Japan, "mountain wishes come true," will be presented.
Yamakano was a focal point for the local Fujiyoshida community and industry up until earlier this year when the shop and warehouse were emptied by its owner. It is another addition to the growing list of empty buildings in the town whose future is yet to be determined.
"mountain wishes come true" (a literal translation of the building's name) unveils Agassi's dialogue with the Yamakano building and its surrounding community.
Following her ongoing practice, here, too, she skillfully integrates local elements into her artistic vision, bridging tradition and innovation.
Agassi engages physical and metaphysical elements – time, memories, found objects, and imagination – to touch upon the space's history, recent changes, and boundless potential future. She introduces elements from her ongoing practice into the newly emptied structure. This exhibition includes a number of collaborations with people, some of whom are very close to her (such as her 10-year-old son Jonah and her long-lasting sound collaborator, Ryan Packard) and some she has met during recent months.
A highlight of these collaborations is the main installation that forms a new soft architecture in the old warehouse. Born from a dialogue with the local textile research institute, Yamanashi Industrial Technology Center, the collaboration with the artist transformed a fading yet central motif from the building’s facade into a new form and shape that explores a new state of matter. The outcome of this dialogue and experiment embodies the merging of artistic practices and local expertise.
"mountain wishes come true" observes the interplay between an artist, a space, and a local community with its traditions, environment and mood.
Workshop and collaboration with the kids of Fujiyoshida leaded by: Jonah Evron Agassi
Sound by: Ryan Packard
Sound Installation video (click here)