Aki Inomata's Interspecies Collaborations: Hermit Crabs, Oysters, and Octopuses as Co-Creators

Tokyo-based artist Aki Inomata creates works where living organisms—hermit crabs, oysters, octopuses, and bagworm moths—become collaborators. In 'Why Not Hand Over a 'Shelter' to Hermit Crabs?', 3D-printed transparent shells modeled after New York, Paris, and Tokyo are swapped by hermit crabs, creating moving city silhouettes. 'Think Evolution #1: Kiku-ishi (Ammonite)' offers octopuses reconstructed ammonite shells from fossil scans. 'In Memory of Currency' places currency-like objects inside oysters, which coat them in nacre over months. 'Passing her a piece of cloth' (2022), developed with Shibori-Dyeing Kuno Studio in Arimatsu, lets bagworm moths incorporate dyed shibori fabric into their nests. 'How to Carve a Sculpture' translates beaver chew marks into CNC-carved forms. The 'Satoyama' project explores managed landscapes. Inomata's practice distributes authorship across species, questioning value, shelter, and coexistence.