AKI INOMATA (born 1983 in Tokyo; lives and works in Tokyo) understands her work as a bridge for becoming-with between humans and other living beings. To this end, she collaborates with a range of non-human organisms. Following exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Musée d’arts de Nantes, and the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, INOMATA’s works are now being presented in a museum in Germany for the first time. Three series from recent years are on view in a gallery at Kunstmuseum Bonn.
In Why Not Hand Over a ‘Shelter’ to Hermit Crabs?, begun in 2009, INOMATA provides hermit crabs with 3D-printed shells topped with miniature buildings from cities around the world. Through this series she not only reminds us of the interconnectedness and becoming-with of humans, animals and technology, but also raises questions about environmental change, the meaning of home and nationality, and the consequences of displacement and flight.
For the video work Think Evolution #1: Kiku-ishi (Ammonite) (2016–17), INOMATA reconstructed an ammonite shell based on fossil forms. Ammonites became extinct at roughly the same time as the dinosaurs and are closely related to present-day octopus. By filming the encounter between an octopus and a 3D-printed replica of the ammonite shell, the artist initiates a dialogue that spans millions of years of evolutionary development while simultaneously incorporating advanced technological processes.
For Memory of Currency (2021–25), INOMATA draws on the defensive reaction of pearl oysters. When foreign objects enter their shells, the oysters coat them with layers of nacre, forming pearls. Shells were used as early forms of currency in many parts of the world. INOMATA inserts portraits of figures who have appeared on banknotes into the shells. As the shell encloses them, it evokes the paradoxical relationship between the exchange of goods, money and nature.
