Hanna Saito

The Kumonodaira Mountain Hut

Hanna Saito

Hanna Saito Hanna Saito Hanna Saito

Hanna Saito's Work

Hanna-san is fundamentally an expressionist of a new era. Her work brings into relief the "the world as it is" by crossing the usual boundaries between humans and nature, life and non-life.

For example, one of her representative works is based on the subject of slime mold, which is also the subject of her scientific research. She feeds pigments to the microorganisms, which render visible in bright colors the usually invisible life of fungi and bacteria. Our perception of “life” is expanded. Her work also vividly depicts scenes on a completely different scale, that of humanity reeling from the deep confusion of the conona virus. Our dependence upon complex mechanical systems leaves us vulnerable, and distant from the reality and uncertainty of life itself.

Hanna's stay at Kumonodaira was very unique. It started with a search through the surrounding alpine forest for some slime bold, which she then cultivated. In another work, Hanna her self stood upright and motionless for half a day in the grasslands; her time-lapse video creatively contrasts her "unchanging figure" with the "changing landscape. In another short film she takes a piece of paper painted using pigments of mountain plants and flowers, and submerges it in a pool, capturing the color flowing out. She built up of bits of scrap boardwalks and metal fittings into fascinating sculptures. Philosophy, humor, design, active and passive art and science, intertwine with sparks of inspiration to create an alternative (otherworldly) perspective on reality. That’s the kind of expressive artist she is: strolling lightly through a diffused and foggy vision. Her work opens invisible doors to unknown worlds.

(Text:Jiro Ito Photo:Yuki Morita、Kenji Akasabi Edit:Kenji Akasabi)

Artwork

Education: Tama Art University


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