tide land

aaploit presents tide land, a solo exhibition by Maeda Rina, on view from July 7 through July 30, 2023. Maeda is based in Kanagawa Prefecture and works with photography.

What Maeda focuses on in her creative practice is the boundary between self and other. The fundamental theme of her work is to confront questions such as "Where does the distinction between self and other lie?" and "Why are you you, and why am I not you?" Boundaries are what form the self and allow us to recognize others—perhaps they are better understood as contours.

This exhibition presents new works from three series themed around traces and time: Cosmic, Hotline, and Stamp man. These series are inspired by the ideas of forgetting, rotation, and mass production, respectively.

Photography, for Maeda, functions as something like a trap for drawing in the other—not only through viewing but also through enlisting the cooperation of friends in the production of work. What she seeks to acquire through photography may ultimately be communication with others.

Cosmic Ego features a black protrusion at its center, evoking a mountain, with a striking contrast against the surrounding gold. The gentle slopes suggest a flow, but looking toward the lower portion of the image, a gingham check shirt becomes visible. What initially appeared to be a mountain is in fact the top of a person's head.

Focusing on the face, one has the illusion of a gaze looking back. Points of light scattered across the face resemble shifts in expression—and here the word "Cosmic" in the title surfaces. Confronting a face that recalls a starry sky, a thought begins to stir: the sensation of another person and the expansion of one's own world.

For inquiries regarding the exhibition and works, please contact info@aaploit.com.