community of

aaploit presents community of, a solo exhibition by Michimata Aoi, on view from February 7 through February 24, 2025. This is Michimata's third solo exhibition and the inaugural exhibition at aaploit's new location in Bunkyo-ku.

Turning points in life sometimes bring us to a stop. This exhibition is an attempt to approach, through an individual interpretation, the theme of the choices each person faces within social structures.

Taking as its starting point the concept of "Kafka's Staircase" proposed by Ikuta Takeshi—a metaphor for the pressure that social norms and expectations exert on the individual—Michimata has continued to challenge what is taken for granted and to search for a sense of place. Through the accumulation of the artist's time, presented in her work, we are confronted with the universal question of what it means to choose. This is also an attempt to re-examine our own way of being through voices from the margins of society, offering an opportunity to explore, at a deeper level, what "divergence" means in the relationship between individual and society.

Michimata works in woodblock printing. Although she employs printmaking techniques, her practice involves continuing to carve into the block throughout the process. The block remains after completion, but it is impossible to produce the same work from it again. Edition numbers are assigned, yet each edition is genuinely limited—these works might more accurately be understood as unique pieces. The woodblock printing technique Michimata chooses carries a certain minority status within the context of contemporary art. Yet it is precisely this that enables her to acquire an independent voice within dominant modes of expression. The individual experience inscribed through the medium of printmaking connects to a broader social context.

The "divergences" depicted in the work are not merely records of personal choice. Within the relationship to society's normative "staircase," they suggest a physical and psychological back-and-forth. Individual experience resonates as a communal voice, echoing with each viewer's own inner turning points.

This exhibition also presents new works by Michimata.

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