morie nishimura's solo exhibit: a quiet celebration at seed art gallery

morie nishimura’s solo exhibit: a quiet celebration at seed art gallery
all images courtesy of morie nishimura

morie nishimura’s works have a neutrality that neither dedicates themselves entirely to utility, nor distance themselves as some untouchable art object. he is able to create something for which we feel gratitude, a sense of sympathy, to the artifacts in abundance around us. ‘a quiet celebration’, curated by maiko yamauchi of seed art gallery, presents nishimura’s ‘brass mirrors’ series.

hand mirror gold

the mirrors are imbued with a quality peculiar to brass. like bivalve shellfish they open and close, changing not only their own form, but the appearance of the world reflected in them. as the material oxidizes gradually, losing its brilliance, the user finds him or herself forced to polish its surface continually. the mirrors force the viewer into an active position of care. however, an accidental touch will eventually start to deteriorate the work, leaving the only acceptable gesture to be mediated by cloth. much like a needle, the user is prevented from having relaxed feelings toward the objects, creating a sense of respect.

the works will be displayed from april 4th to april 30th 2015 at seed art gallery in zhengzhou, china

hand mirror emerald

hand mirror ruby 

hinged brass mirror

hinged metal mirror emerald

hinged metal mirror gold

hinged brass mirror 

hinged metal mirror ruby and emerald

hinged metal mirrors

hinged brass mirrors

designboom has received this project through its ‘DIY submissions’ feature, which welcomes readers to submit their own work for publication. see more designboom readers submissions here.