Our label has been organizing exhibitions under the title “asterisk,” and we are now pleased to announce the first project of a new collaboration, KANA KAWANISHI × asterisk: Mayumi Kodama’s solo exhibition, “Hangetsu” (Half Moon).
In her previous work, “bokei,” Kodama expanded the horizons of our perception through the abstraction of books. In this new series, she has chosen her own body as the subject. While there are some underlying similarities in her photographic approach, by taking the “body”—something everyone possesses—as her starting point, she succeeds in significantly extending the range of imagination.
The resulting images appear at times like landscapes, at other times like different living creatures, and often possess an undefinable quality that defies categorization. The artist states that she has found a new sense of freedom in this body of work. We invite you to experience it for yourself.
We will also be hosting talk events with guest speakers during the exhibition. We look forward to seeing you there.
I have reached the age my father was when he was given his terminal diagnosis.
This fact has reminded me once again that I am a finite being, while simultaneously bringing into sharp relief that this body is a single “knot” connecting the past and the future.
The subject of this exhibition is myself. My body, usually too taken for granted to be in the foreground, is transformed through the lens. Shoulders become the ridgelines of sand dunes; wrinkles turn into geological strata. The flesh, which should be familiar, dissolves into a vast space. What exists here is a space woven by the form of a “person,” transcending mere personal record.
Now that I have crossed the milestone of the age my father lived to, my body leaves the idea of being “my possession” and transforms into a universal “vessel” for passing on life. “Hangetsu” (Half Moon) does not imply a lack or deficiency. It is a symbol of the movement where light and shadow exist equally, shaping one another. In the place where the “tying” and “untying” of life intersect, I wish to present a new form of freedom.
(From the Artist Statement)
Exhibition Details
Dates: February 6 (Fri) – February 15 (Sun), 2026 11:00 – 18:00 Open every day during the exhibition period. Admission Free.
Venue: KANA KAWANISHI PHOTOGRAPHY House Nishiazabu 5F, 2-7-5 Nishiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo (1F: SHISHA CAFE NORTH VILLAGE)
Planning: asterisk
Talk Events
-
February 7 (Sat) 16:00
Guest: Kunihiko Katsumata (Artist / Photographer, Professor at Kyoto University of the Arts)
-
February 11 (Wed / Holiday) 16:00
Guest: Kenji Takazawa (Photography Critic)
bio
Born in Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan
Mar. 2024 Graduated from Kyoto University of the Arts, Fine Art Photography Course Dec. 2024 “bokei” at Nikon Salon Dec. 2024 Published photo book “bokei” Apr. 2025 “bokei” at MONO GRAPHY CAMERA & ART
