From an early age, artist and architect ARAKAWA had an insatiable curiosity that led him explore many worlds, ranging from medicine, biology to art. Through this outside-the-box exploration he found a philosophical affinity for other polymath artists, including Leonardo da Vinci and Marcel Duchamp. In this talk, Miwako Tezuka of the ARAKAWA + Gins Reversible Destiny Foundation, introduced selections of archival materials that illustrated ARAKAWA’s range of interests and examine how these materials influenced the core visual and conceptual language in his art.

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Dr. Miwako Tezuka is Consulting Curator of the Reversible Destiny Foundation, a foundation established in New York by Arakawa and Madeline Gins. She is also Co-Director of PoNJA-GenKon (Post-Nineteen-forty-five Japanese Art Discussion Group), a global online network of scholars, curators, and artists. Formerly Director of the Gallery, Japan Society, New York (2012–15) and Curator of Contemporary Art, Asia Society, New York (2005–2012), she has curated numerous exhibitions, including: LOVE Long: Robert Indiana and Asia (2018); Garden of Unearthly Delights: Works by Ikeda, Tenmyouya & teamLab (2014); Rebirth: Recent Work by Mariko Mori (2013); and Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody’s Fool (2010), among many others. She is currently curating a major solo exhibition of artist-architect Maya Lin, Maya Line: A River is a Drawing, for the Hudson River Museum, opening in October of this year.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.