Return to the sea
- Words
- Hannah Edwards
Salt is an essential mineral for nature and human kind. In Japan, salt is traditionally considered as cleansing, it is used among in funeral rites and often placed in small piles at the entrance to restaurants and other businesses to ward off evil spirits and to attract benevolent ones. The Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto, discovered the medium salt for himself, while grieving over the death of his sister.
+ Read MoreWanting to preserve all his memories of his sister, Motoi Yamamoto began to create huge salt pictures. Motoi sees his installations as exercises which are on the one hand seemingly meaningless and yet necessary for his personal healing. An important aspect of the installation is the dismantling of his work at the end of each show and delivering the salt back to water, usually in collaboration with the public; hence, the title ‘Return to the Sea’. Each grain of salt holds its own history and trajectory. Motoi Yamamoto’s art radiates an intense beauty and tranquility, conveying something ineffable, yet endless at the same time.
All images © Motoi Yamamoto | Via: Colossal
