Yuma Kishi’s “Oracle Womb” Exhibition: Explore the Mystical Realm Starting 2/22
Feb 17th, 2025: √K Contemporary is proud to present Yuma Kishi’s solo exhibition, Oracle Womb, starting Saturday, February 22nd. While “AI Art” is a term that has steadily been gaining a presence in modern times, Kishi has been involved with AI technology as an engineer long before it became a mainstream topic. Now as an artist, Kishi produces his works in collaboration with his own AI programs, showcasing an unprecedented approach to the artform in a style unique to Kishi. Since his very first solo exhibition at our gallery back in 2021, Imaginary Bones, Kishi has been gaining renown and expanding his scope of activities. This exhibition, which will be his second solo show at our gallery, will feature new AI models developed by Kishi, video installations, and large-scale paintings. Additionally, the curation of the exhibition will be handled by “MaryGPT”, an original interactive AI model that has been in charge of overseeing Kishi’s works since 2023.
With Kishi’s knowledge, technical skills and sensibility combined with the insights derived by MaryGPT, Kishi’s works provides deep reflections on the nature of human and AI and their relationships, posing questions about the essence of aesthetics and offering insights into the future.
Spanning three floors from the basement to the second floor, the exhibition will present a space where visitors can enjoy the “beautiful oddity” created by Kishi and MaryGPT.
For those who wish to see a list of works, please contact the gallery.
|||||| EVENTS ||||||
A special talk event featuring Yuko Hasegawa, the director of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa and a commemorative event for the release of Kishi’s first book will take place during the exhibition.
In addition, the exhibition’s soundtrack will be provided by Los Angeles-based artist Teebs (Brainfeeder). A special collaborative showcase between Teebs and Kishi will take place at the Shibuya livehouse WWW X.
【Special Talk Event: Yuko Hasegawa× Yuma Kishi】
Date: March 8, 2025 (Saturday) from 2pm
Venue: √K Contemporary
Admission: 1000yen（pre-registration required, first come, first served basis）
To attend, please email √K Contemporary with your name and the number of participants (up to two people per registration).
Email:info@root-k.jp
Guest | Yuko Hasegawa
Curator/Art critic. Graduated from the School of Law at Kyoto University. Completed the Master’s program at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts. Has served as a curator at the Mito Art Museum, a guest curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art, a curator at the Setagaya Art Museum, the Head of the Curatorial Department and Artistic Director at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and the Chief Curator and Senior Advisor at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. Since April 2021, she has been the Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
【Book Launch Talk: Michi tono Sozo (lit. Creativity with the Unknown: Humanity’s Alien Encounter with AI)】
Date: March 1, 2025 (Saturday) from 6pm
Location: √K Contemporary
Admission: Free (no registration required, but seating may be limited; standing may be necessary if the event is crowded).
*Both events will be in Japanese.
【Live Event:『4D with Teebs ＋ Yuma Kishi』＠ Shibuya WWW X】
Date: February 21, 2025 (Friday), Entry: 5pm, Performance Start: 6pm
Venue｜Shibuya WWW X
Performers ｜A/V:, Teebs [LA / Brainfeeder] + Yuma Kishi, Daisuke Tanabe + Reiji Saito, E.O.U + jvnpey, Friday Night Plans + Leo Iizuka + TBA
Sponsored by Cyran
Equipment Cooperation｜BenQ Japan Co., Ltd.
【Opening Reception】
We will be holding a special opening reception on the first day of the exhibition, February 22 (Sat) from 5pm – 7pm. The artist will be in attendance at the gallery, so we hope you can come by! (No Reservations required)
Date: February 22, 2025 (Saturday) 5pm – 7pm
Venue: √K Contemporary
【Artist | Yuma Kishi）】
Born in 1993, Yuma Kishi holds degrees from the University of Tokyo (Graduate School of Engineering) and the Tokyo University of the Arts (Graduate School of Fine Arts, Advanced Art Expression). Kishi views AI as “Alien Intelligence” and collaborates with it in creating paintings, sculptures, and installations. Since 2023, Kishi’s AI model MaryGPT has curated almost all of his works. His notable solo exhibitions include The Frankenstein Papers (2023, DIESEL ART GALLERY) and Imaginary Bones (2021, √K Contemporary). Other exhibitions Kishi has presented at include DXP2 (2024, 21st Century Museum, Kanazawa) and Kedamono (Chapter 2/ BEAUTIFUL DAYDREAM) (2024, Maruka). Kishi has also collaborated with brands such as “HATRA” and musicians like “RADWIMPS”, “King Gnu”, and Keiichiro Shibuya, providing artwork and video direction. He has received awards such as the CAF Award 2023 and the ATAMI Art Grant 2022.
[Awards & Grants]
2021 muni art award, Atsushi Suwa award
2022 ATAMI ART GRANT
2023 CAF Award 2023
【Yuma Kishi Solo Exhibition Oracle Womb, Exhibition Details】
Title: Oracle Womb
Artist: Yuma Kishi
Curator: MaryGPT
Graphic Design: Heijiro Yagi
Lighting/Spatial Design: Namiko Watanabe
Sound: Teebs (Brainfeeder)
Photo: Yunosuke Nakayama
Production Assistant: Zunchi, Saki Nagato
Events: Hajime Matsuo
Dates : February 22 (Sat) – March 15 (Sat), 2025
Venue: √K Contemporary
Equipment Cooperation: BenQ Japan Co., Ltd.
Technical Support: Flat Lab Co., Ltd.
Installation: Kenzo Kasuya
【Book Release: Michi tono Sozo (lit. Creativity with the Unknown ？ The Alien Encounter Between Humanity and AI)】
Yuma Kishi’s first book, Michi tono Sozo (lit. Creativity with the Unknown: Humanity’s Alien Encounter with AI), will be published by Seibundo Shinkosha (Bunkyo, Tokyo) on March 12, 2025. Through his research and development with AI, Kishi has been exploring the relationship between humanity and AI from a unique perspective, and this book compiles his thoughts on the subject. Beginning with the origins of AI and tracing all the way back to early humans, the book explores the “alien” relationship between AI and humanity. Drawing from Kishi’s previous works, as well as references to Impressionism, Surrealism, and contemporary artists, it presents his new vision of AI and humanity’s relationship－a phenomenon he calls the “alien subject”.
In an era when generative AI services like ChatGPT dominate society, Kishi’s perspective will be invaluable in understanding the broader implications of AI beyond just the arts.
The book’s cover is endorsed by artist, Kenjiro Okazaki, who wrote the following:
“AI points to a new form of reality, a new rhythm. People ask, ‘Why does AI lie?’ But what we actually ask of AI is to ‘lie more conveniently.’ Let us call this convenience (a false medium). The fiction of AI divides into two categories: lies that are accepted as truth by humans and truths that AI has discovered as real, which humans cannot comprehend. AI shows us that truth exists beyond what we understand. If we trust that ‘AI cannot lie to itself,’ we can dismantle the issue of and understand that AI, like writing once did for humanity, will lead us to another world.” － Kenjiro Okazaki
Title：Michi tono Sozo (lit. Creativity with the Unknown – The Alien Encounter Between Humanity and AI)
Author：Yuma Kishi
Design：Heijiro Yagi
Illustration：Koji MIzuno
Editor：Miwako Mori (Seibundo Shinkosha)、Shunsuke Kamigaito
Price：2,860yen（tax incl）
Specification：A5 size、256 pages
Release date：March 21, 2025, wed.
Publisher：Seibundo Shinkosha（https://www.seibundo-shinkosha.net/）
ISBN：978-4-416-72375-3
＊tentative image
Art Fair Tokyo 2025 & Art Basel Hong Kong 2025!
We will be exhibiting at Art Fair Tokyo in March, as well as Art Basel Hong Kong!
At Art Fair Tokyo, we will be featuring a two-person joint exhibition by Nelson Hor and Akihiro Hasegawa under the theme of a famous buddhist metaphor, Niga Hakudo (The White Path Between Two Rivers), while at Art Basel HongKong we will be presenting the post-war artist Hiroshi Fujimatsu in the Insights Section.
Invitation tickets are available for both, so for those who wish to attend, please contact us at the gallery. Please note that the tickets are limited, and we may not be able to accommodate all requests. We thank you for your understanding.
If you would like to see the list of works, please feel free to contact us.
Art Fair Tokyo 2025
Dates: March 7, 2025 (Friday) – March 9, 2025 (Sunday) *VIP Entry on March 6 (Thursday)
Venue: Tokyo International Forum, Hall E/Lobby Gallery
Art Basel Hong Kong 2025
Dates:
VIP (By Invitation):
First Choice | Wednesday, March 26, 12 noon to 8pm
First Choice and Preview | Wednesday, March 26, 3pm to 8pm
First Choice and Preview | Thursday, March 27, 12 noon to 4pm
First Choice and Preview | Friday, March 28, 12 noon to 2pm
First Choice and Preview | Saturday, March 29, 12 noon to 2pm
First Choice and Preview | Sunday, March 30, 11am to 12 noon
Vernissage | Thursday, March 27, 4pm to 8pm
Public Days
Friday, March 28, 2pm to 8pm
Saturday, March 29, 2pm to 8pm
Sunday, March 30, 12 noon to 6pm
Venue: Convention & Exhibition Centre (1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China)
https://www.artbasel.com/
Exhibiting Artist: Hiroshi Fujimatsu
https://root-k.jp/artists_en/hiroshifujimatsu/
【Artist Information】
Kiyoshi Hamada Solo Exhibition: Kiyoshi Hamada Journey – 1975, Now Exhibiting at the Museum of Art, Kochi since February 8
A large-scale solo exhibition tracing Kiyoshi Hamada’s career spanning approximately 50 years opened at the Museum of Art, Kochi on February 8th.
The exhibited works have an almomst nostalgic feel to them admist the pared-down abstract expression, and are reminiscent of the seascapes in Kuroshio, Kochi that remain in Hamada’s memory.
Dates：February 8, 2025 (Sat) – April 13, 2025 (Sun)
Museum Hours: 9am – 5pm (Entry until 4:30pm)
Organized by: Museum of Art, Kochi (Kochi Prefecture Foundation for Culture), KSS Kochi Sunsun Television
Special Cooperation by: √K Contemporary
Sponsors: Gallery Echo-ann, 7days Hotel
Additional Support: Kochi Prefecture Board of Education, Kochi City Board of Education, Kuroshio Town Board of Education, KCB Kochi Cable TV, FM Kochi, Kochi City FM Radio Broadcasting
