motoi yamamoto installs 100,000 salt cherry blossom petals at setouchi city art museum

motoi yamamoto has created a monumental installation of about 100,000 cherry blossom petals made of salt for his solo exhibition ‘sakura shibefuru’ (falling cherry petals) at the setouchi city art museum. for the exhibition, which opened march 9 and is on until may 5, 2021, the japanese artist developed the salt petals one by one, which took him 55 hours and about nine days of work. along with the installation works on the theme of ‘cherry blossoms’, the show also includes two-dimensional works created in 1995, which can be said to be the starting point of yamamoto’s work.all images © motoi yamamoto, 2021

‘sakura shibefuru’ (falling cherry petals) marks motoi yamamoto’s second solo exhibition at the setouchi city art museum, since ‘floating garden’ in 2013. the artworks on view revolve around the theme of ‘cherry blossoms’, focusing not only on the beauty of a full bloom flower but also on the petals, which express the full circle of life and death. the theme is found both on the two-dimensional works, which were created in 1995, as well as on the installation works of the exhibition.

set on a dark red backdrop, the monumental installation of the ‘sakura shibefuru’ exhibition features a landscape of about 100.000 cherry blossom petals made of salt. motoi yamamoto produced the piece by putting salt in a petal-shaped mold, and creating the petals one by one. visitors are invited to pause and enjoy the meticulously crafted scenery, while contemplating ‘the next season, after the cherry blossoms have fallen.’

making process of the installation

making process of the installation

making process of the installation

making process of the installation

exhibition info:

name: sakura shibefuru – falling cherry petals

artist: motoi yamamoto

location: setouchi city art museum, setouchi city, okayama prefecture, japan

duration: march 9 – may 5, 2021