PAST EXHIBITION

Asako Shiroki
" Water Mirror "

June 13 (Fri) - July 27 (Sun), 2025

Gallery 38 is pleased to present Water Mirror, a solo exhibition by Asako Shiroki, opening on Friday, June 13.

Currently based in Berlin, Germany, artist Asako Shiroki is known for her sculptures and installations incorporating natural objects as beings from alternative perceptual worlds, made with wood and other materials. Her works are recognized for their quiet presence and powerful, evocative messages. Originally trained in metalwork in Japan, Shiroki expanded her interest to wood and began her artistic practice integrating wooden sculptures into her installations. Over the years, through residencies and research in Germany, France, Denmark, Korea and other locations, she shifted from forming materials through control to embracing the abstraction and unpredictability inherent in organic matter.

One day, Shiroki encountered an impactful moment through some fallen tree twigs. While collecting branches she found along a familiar path, she noticed a bird’s nest above her. In that instant, the twigs she had picked for their aesthetic appeal and those selected by the bird for pragmatic nesting purposes intersected̶two worlds touching, coexisting in the same moment. This experience revealed to her the layered nature of existence and the possibility of momentarily sensing another’s time or world, even if they may never truly overlap.

Shiroki’s early work focused on forming specific materials, such as wood, but over time she began reflecting her own inner experiences and perceptions of daily life in her work. Especially after the pandemic, she became deeply aware of the importance of imagining perspectives that are difficult to grasp through subjective experience̶those belonging to others. Her encounters with the bird nest and twigs became an opportunity to notice unfamiliar perspectives, turning the act of creation into a means of imagining the other. Natural elements representing different perceptual realms have increasingly appeared in her works, becoming metaphors for the effort to understand what lies beyond our own knowledge.

Her interest in the “perspective of the other” is rooted in her own life experience, shaped through years of working abroad. As someone who has lived as an “immigrant,” Shiroki explores how cultural and historical contexts shape identity, and how tension arises in relationships with others. In Northern Europe, she observed their unique attitudes of inner autonomy and a deep engagement with nature and time, reflecting on how these differed from her own East Asian sensibilities, and using this contrast to seek a balanced understanding of the world.

The exhibition will feature eight works, including a new piece titled Rooted in time, memories in bloom. Among them, Evergreen exemplifies her recent explorations. Described by the artist as “a work that recalls memory and regenerates new meaning,” it draws on both personal and historical contexts̶particularly Japan-Korea relations and the family memories of her Korean partner̶through a cultural-anthropological lens. Built around the theme of “distillation,” the work incorporates photographs, video, a flask containing 21 grams of essential oil, and metal chains. Influenced by her experience of temporary smell loss due to COVID-19 and past collaborations with the visually impaired, Shiroki became increasingly aware of the connection between scent and memory. Using distillation symbolically, she creates a sensory experience where scent acts on the viewer’s memory. For Shiroki, whose goal is to leave an invisible impression in the viewer’s heart, the process of extracting essential oils and that of sculpting share a deep conceptual affinity. Her works continue to evolve̶ shifting materials and forms̶while exploring both personal introspection and broader narratives.

“I always try to stay close̶even just a little̶of the fact that somewhere in the world, someone is facing a situation far beyond what I can imagine from where I stand now, ” Shiroki says. “Through my work, I want to imagine others, and keep walking into the haze, hoping to offer a small sense of closeness to someone I have yet to meet.”

Exhibition Details:

Asako Shiroki
“ Water Mirror “

Date: June 13 (Fri) - July 27 (Sun), 2025
Opening Reception: June 13 (Fri) 18:00-20:00
The artist will be at the gallery on 13 (Fri)
Hours: 12:00-19:00
Closed on Mon, Tue and National Holidays
Venue: Gallery 38

Concurrent Exhibition:

“ I Heard You, Still “

Date: June 7 (Sat) ‒ June 29 (Sun), 2025
Hours: 12:00 ‒ 19:00 (Open only on Saturdays and Sundays)
Venue: CAPSULE (B1f 2-7-12, Ikejiri, Setagaya-ku)

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