Maki Ohkojima

This exhibition marks the first show in Mexico City by the Japanese art collective Maki Ohkojima. Known for their installations that combine painting, ceramics, video, and text, their interests have consistently oscillated between the humanities—such as mythology, folklore, and cultural anthropology—and the natural sciences, including biology, geology, and physics. In recent years, their focus has shifted toward exploring the relationship between geology and culture.

In their 2023 solo exhibition titled CHIKATO, presented in Tokyo, they delved deeply into the roots of the Japanese archipelago through works that connected the geological characteristics of the territory with the formation of its spiritual culture.

For this exhibition, the collective proposes what could be described as a Mexican version of that inquiry. Since March 2024, Maki Ohkojima has been in residence in Mexico, supported by a grant from the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan. The works presented in this show reflect their interpretation of the images of "Mexico" and "Mexicanness" that the collective has perceived during their stay. Their analysis particularly focuses on the relationship between Mexico's geological features and the devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The title of the exhibition, The Navel of the Planet, refers to Mexico's location at the convergence of four tectonic plates. Like Mexico, Japan shares this unique geographic feature and, as a result, both countries are situated in volcanic zones. This exhibition can be interpreted as a question posed by the artists to Mexican viewers, whom they see as "kindred spirits" living on the opposite side of the planet.

— Maki Ohkojima

Maki Ohkojima is an art collective based in Tokyo, composed of Maki Ohkojima and Yosuke Tsuji. Their work explores the theme of "life that intertwines, tangles, and unravels while circulating irregularly," using a wide variety of media. They have participated in artist residencies in countries such as India, Poland, China, Mexico, and France. In 2017, they took part in the Pacific Project aboard the scientific research vessel Tara, led by the Tara Ocean Foundation. In recent years, in addition to exhibiting in museums and galleries, they have also worked on set design for theater productions.