We will be holding an exhibition showcasing the outcomes of the workshops conducted in three sessions from October 2023 at Nara Historical and Cultural Art Village. In these workshops, participants ranging from 9 to 53 years old engaged in creating drawings using their entire bodies in VR space. These drawings were materialized and photographed in various locations throughout the village to complete the artworks. On January 21st (Sunday) and 28th (Sunday), visitors will also be able to view the VR exhibitions at the exhibition venue. Mifuku-san and I will be present throughout these two days. We warmly invite you to join us.

In cooperation with: STYLY / Social Welfare Corporation Wataboushi Association

Drawing on Space

‘Drawing on Space’ is an attempt to explore future realms of expression through the fusion of art and XR, a collaboration between the artist Koji Shiroshita and the XR/Web creator Mifuku. Koji Shiroshita, known for his ‘Completely Untitled‘ series (2005~) and ‘PICTURE‘ series (2020~), consistently explores the essence of painting through the use of traditional mediums like pen and ink to create intricate line works. Recently, he has focused on ‘VR Drawing,’ using VR equipment to draw in space itself, bringing new physicality and dimensionality to the act of drawing, paradoxically deepening the connection with the real world. Mifuku, on the other hand, is a creator who focuses on connecting existing art contexts with XR expressions, as seen in works like ‘Given: Marcel Duchamp‘ (2022), reinterpreted from a VR perspective.

The VR drawings created by Shiroshita are reinterpreted and transformed into AR by Mifuku, allowing them to be ‘transferred’ onto the real world through digital device screens, transforming mundane scenes into sites of installation. This project incorporates a workshop format, inviting spectators to partake in this entire creative process. Through the act of drawing in VR space, spectators can re-acknowledge the meaning of ‘drawing’ for us and, by contemplating where to place their drawings, can discover new perspectives in familiar everyday landscapes. This is an endeavor to think and create new forms of art for the future.