Keyword for the exhibition
Imazu’s works employ images taken from a variety of media as their motifs. Since moving to Indonesia, her pictorial surfaces have come to reflect various personal experiences, Indonesian history and mythology, urban development, and environmental issues. These are some of the keywords that will help viewers to decipher Imazu’s work.
The myth of Hainuwele
The subject of a myth from the island of Seram, Indonesia, Hainuwele is the name of a woman born from a coconut who had the power to create exotic treasures from her own excrement. She was buried alive by men who feared her mystical power, but when her body was cut up and buried, various kinds of tuberous crops grew out of the land, helping to support the islanders. Imazu interprets this myth from various angles, including feminism and colonial history, connecting it to her own personal experience as a mother.
2023
oil on jute
350 x 800 cm
TumurunMuseum, Indonesia
courtesy of The Artist and ROH
Development and Environmental Pollution
For Imazu, who lives in Indonesia, the repeated plundering of resources by developed countries and the resulting environmental issues are a daily reality. The local subjects depicted in her work include the Citarum River, called “the most polluted river in the world,” the eruption of a mud volcano at a natural gas mining site in Sidoarjo, and the lives of their inhabitants.
2022
oil, acrylic, mud, UV print on canvas
194 x 388 cm
Private Collection
courtesy of The Artist and ROH
Japan and Indonesia
Indonesia was a Dutch colony in the modern era and was occupied by Japan during World War II. Imazu quotes images from various historical sources on her canvases in order to think critically about the relationship between the Indonesia where she lives today, and Japan, where she has her roots, creating paintings in a bid to verify her own place in this world.
2024
oil on canvas
300 x 200 cm
Collection of the Artist
courtesy of The Artist and ROH
2022
oil on canvas
194 x 194 cm
TAKEUCHI COLLECTION
courtesy of The Artist, ANOMALY, and ROH
From Plane to Space
In recent years, Imazu’s practice has expanded from a predominant focus on painting to works with a more spatial presence, such as large three-dimensional pieces created with a 3D printer, as well as installations. For this exhibition, Imazu will present a new installation about the cultivation of cinchona, a special remedy for malaria, which was once practiced in Bandung. Also showcased here are skeletal specimens, earthenware, and other large-scale sculptures scattered throughout the venue. Audiences will be able to enjoy the world of Imazu’s works throughout the entire venue.
2024
mixed media, size variable
Collection of the Artist
courtesy of The Artist and ROH
