The art of Taro Shinoda engages themes of science, philosophy, and desire, and investigates our place in the universe. During his month-long residency in Boston in the spring of 2007, Shinoda was inspired by the moonlight in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum courtyard to develop his project, Lunar Reflection Transmission Technique.
For this piece, Shinoda constructed an astronomical telescope out of corrugated cardboard and attached a video camera to it; with this instrument he films the moon and cityscapes from different parts of the world. He describes his endeavor as "the first step toward having a sense of us all sharing this planet together. I look at the moon and, a few hours later, you look at it in some different country. Observing the way the moon travels allows me to make an image of the whole world."
The exhibition will include film shots from Tokyo, Istanbul, and Limerick, in addition to Boston, a sound installation, and an engawa-a Japanese viewing platform that traditionally separates the domestic space from the garden. From this vantage point, visitors may sit and meditate on their place in the universe as they watch Shinoda's extraordinary films of the moon and mysterious night landscapes.
Taro Shinoda's work has been shown in: Korea at the Busan Biennale; Turkey at the Istanbul Biennial; Limerick, Ireland at the EV+A festival; Los Angeles at the Roy and Edna Disney Calarts Theater; Tokyo at the Mori Art Museum; San Francisco at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; Lithuania at the Baltic Triennale; and Yokohama, Japan, at the International Triennale of Contemporary Art. Shinoda has been an artist-in-residence at REDCAT, Los Angeles and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston. Shinoda was born in Tokyo, where he continues to live and work.
Artist Talk
Saturday, November 7 @ 1:30pm
Taro Shinoda and Curator of Contemporary Art Pieranna Cavalchini discuss Lunar Reflections and the artist’s work.
Room Views: The Courtyard
Thursday, November 12 @ 6:30pm
In the first of a new series of conversations about the Gardner Museum, artist Taro Shinoda, Museum Director Anne Hawley, and Curator of the Collection Alan Chong consider the special magic of the courtyard.
Gallery Talks at Gardner After Hours
Join us for gallery talks at 7pm in the Special Exhibition Gallery during Gardner After Hours events from November through January. Guest speakers will include Eungie Joo, the Keith Haring Director and Curator of Education and Public Programs at The New Museum in New York City.
Lunar Reflections: A New Year’s Eve Event
Thursday, December 31 @ 6-9:30pm
Celebrate New Year’s Eve in the unparalleled atmosphere of the Gardner Museum! For the first time, the museum hosts an evening of art and music on December 31st in celebration of the full moon, the New Year, and a lunar courtyard project by Artist-in-Residence Taro Shinoda.
End 2009 on a Zen note as you immerse yourself in Shinoda’s extraordinary films of the moon and mysterious nocturnal cityscapes; explore many of the museum’s atmospheric galleries; and enjoy wine, beer, and Japanese tea with Asian-inspired small bites alongside the courtyard. A special performance of Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, featuring Paula Robison, Sooyun Kim, Alexis Lanz, David Fulmer, Eric Jacobsen, and Steven Beck, will be presented in the Tapestry Room at 7:30pm (limited seating available). Cash bar and light snacks will be available for purchase until 9pm.
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