A Method To Draw A Map Of Time

Berlin based artist Youki Hirakawa talked about his oeuvre to date in relation to the main themes that inspire his works. Time and place are two notions of special interest for Hirakawa. Reflecting on the expanded sense of these principal vectors of orientation, he creates poetic works of art that often move us in their singular beauty. Hirakawa works in a wide range of media, encompassing video, sculpture and mixed media. His works rarely are stand-alone pieces: rather they are the next step in a train of thought developed through earlier works.

A sense of place is imperative for the artist. For Hirakawa, place can both be the original location that inspired a certain work of art, as well as the place of exhibition, as he often conceives installations specific to the site. Rethinking and adapting existing works for new venues is an important aspect of his artistic practice. The notion of time is closely attached to that of place, and Hirakawa often researches the different strands of time that one place carries. The idea of the site specific, and its meaning for the artist, received special attention during this talk, with the transformation of things through the passage of time being a second defining topic. Furthermore, Hirakawa expanded on his fascination with ideas surrounding alchemy. 

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