NANZUKA UNDERGROUND is pleased to present new multimedia works by Naohiro Ukawa, including photography, video, and a series of sculptural works.

Ironically refering to himself as a "Media Rapist"living in the modern highly-networked mass-consumption society,  Ukawa is an omnidirectional artist whose works defy accepted genre boundaries, and transcend them, as a challenge to the chaos of modern life.  Ukawa works not just as a contemporary artist but also as a designer, an art director, a video director, a VJ, an organizer, a sound system director, a writer, a curator, and a university professor.  His overwhelmingly eclectic creativity can be said to hold the potential to redefine the next raison d'etre of pure art, while it is retaining the depth of Japanese sub-culture.

"A Series of Interpreted Catharses #2" is part of Ukawa's ongoing investigation of the various influences that natural disasters impress on human psychology.  Ukawa, as a member of the "Japan Society for Natural Disaster Science", organized by Disaster Prevention Research Institute Kyoto University, will present series of his art works dealing with Natural Disaster as "A Series of Interpreted Catharsis" from the field of modern art. 

The exhibited works contain a series of high-definition video and sequential photographs which capture images of a giant earthquake in progress, as well as a series of sculptural works which capture the moment and physicality of natural destruction.  Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic explosions cause physical, economical, and psychological damage to human beings. However, they sometimes encourage people and society to be reborn in the aftermath.  The forthcoming exhibition at Nanzuka Underground is an attempt to remind viewers of the latent fear of unpredictable natural disasters which loom historically in both the past and the future; as both existing in awe of unknowable prodigious natural power, and unspoken criticism of aspiration towards current realities which will possibly be erased, and reset．

As Naohiro Ukawa comments:

"This exhibition is the second part of the Disaster Saga, following 'A Series of Interpreted Catharsis episode one - typhoon'; a work using Disaster Prevention technology, Japan being a nation advanced in this technology, to create an artificial typhoon, which will be presented at the Mori Art Museum in October 2007.  The theme of episode one is the heightening of consciousness brought on by a predictable natural disaster, in this case, a typhoon, and creativity ensuing after destruction; however, this exhibition, episode two. examines earthquakes in which this attitude is not applicable.  The heightening of consciousness brought about by a typhoon is the gradated interplay between a landscape and a storm which gradually washes over and damages it, in other words, it is a kind of flanging effect that twists familiar landscapes out of shape.  However, earthquakes do not have these qualities.  An earthquake is an explosion, disquietude without prelude or rehearsal.  What can we do in the face of this absolutely irresistible force?  Does "energy" show its true face as the rampaging groan of active faults hidden deep below the earth?  Or, is this instead Catharsis being staged by the gods, as in the definition of a natural disaster as an 'act of god'?

This exhibition is an earthquake advisory warning from Earthquake Nation Japan to the world!"

In conjunction with this exhibition there will be talks and several events, to be announced separately.

Contributing to the exhibition, texts by Noi Sawaragi-

"As written in the Book of Job, when the devil is speaks God is silent.  "A Series of Interpreted Catharses #2" is the silence of God; as natural disasters rage, God stays silent.  It was a bet with Satan which made God fall silent, and they have come to keep this understanding.  The 21st century has come and the two are now appearing in a different form.  It is no longer a matter of "good" and "evil".  The Theological stage in art has now begun."