We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.
Yuko Mohri / Japan b.1980 / Breath or Echo (installation view) 2017 / Modified pianos, street lights, lightbulbs, wood, electric motor, paper, iron, ceramic insulators, concrete, cables and magnets / Installed dimensions variable / Purchased with funds from Tim Fairfax AC through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation 2018 /Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Yuko Mohri / Photograph: Ikuya Sasaki, installation view, Sapporo International Art Festival 2017 / Image courtesy: Yuko Mohri and Project Fulfill, Taipei
Yuko MohriBreath or Echo 2017
Not Currently on Display
Breath or Echo 2017 is a sound installation inspired by Japanese modernist sculptor Sunazawa Bikky (1931–89) and the wild landscapes of Hokkaido in northern Japan. The delicate soundscape of self-playing objects refers to nature’s constant cycle of creation and decay. The work also features a recording of a poem Bikky composed to accompany his 1986 outdoor sculpture called Four Winds, to which Yuko Mohri’s Breath or Echo directly responds.
Using readymade materials, Yuko Mohri creates sound installations that play elegant compositions. With a background in music and intermedia art, Mohri has developed a practice based around automated instruments made from found materials that engage with the intangible elements of space, light and gravity. Many of her projects address themes — and use materials — relevant to a specific location. Her works are described as ‘kinetic’ sculptures, as they are activated by magnets, gravity and light, often with an in-built delay. Mohri is a versatile artist who produces theatre set designs, performances and photographic series in addition to her installations.