Cosmo-Eggs

【Book Description】

This book is published in conjunction with the Japanese Pavilion return exhibition Cosmo Eggs following the 58th Venice Biennale, offering a comprehensive reflection on the exhibition and an expanded inquiry into key issues in contemporary art. Using the exhibition as its point of departure, the volume brings together writings and conversations by the participating artists and a wide range of creators from different fields, tracing both conceptual foundations and creative trajectories. In doing so, the exhibition is not only preserved as a record but extended into an ongoing platform for critical thought and dialogue.

Cosmo Eggs was curated by Hiroyuki Hattori and developed through collaboration among artists, composers, anthropologists, and architects, centering on themes of coexistence and symbiosis between humans and non humans. The five participants formed a collective described as a shared yet differentiated body, beginning with tsunami stones and expanding into myth making, video works, sound, and balloon based sound producing devices. These elements resonate within a single exhibition space, forming an integrated environment. The book documents this process through essays, interviews, exhibition views, diary style production records, and reflective roundtable discussions, offering an in depth look at the ethics and practices of collective creation.

Beyond the exhibition itself, the book engages broader contemporary topics through contributions and dialogues with leading figures in art and philosophy. Discussions range from collective artistic ethics and ecological thought to the boundaries between music and visual art, as well as questions of how immaterial works and exhibitions can be archived and transmitted. By examining how contemporary myths are conceived and enacted, the book invites readers to consider the wider possibilities that emerge from a single exhibition and the significance of collective practice, presenting a thoughtful guide for navigating the complexities of our present time.

【Publication Details】

Author: Motoyuki Shitamichi, Taro Yasuno, Toshiaki Ishikura, Buntoku Nosaku, Hattori Hiroyuki
Publisher: torch press
Year of Publication: 2020
Format Size: 26×18 cm
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 264 pages