Kôichi Kurita's Soil Libraries on View in Camargue

Japanese artist Kôichi Kurita presents three exhibitions in Aigues-Mortes and Saint-Gilles, France, from May 11 to August 31, 2019, under the title "Les Terres, miroir du monde." For thirty years, Kurita has collected soil samples daily, first across Japan and then in French regions, creating "libraries" of earth displayed in historic sites like Chambord, Maubuisson, and Chamarande. The current project, born from a three-month residency, focuses on the fragile Camargue territory and the Mediterranean. After harvesting, drying, and grinding the soil, Kurita arranges the pastel-hued powders in transparent vials or conical piles on the ground, often accompanied by postcards bearing a pinch of earth sent to the Maison du Grand Site de France de la Camargue gardoise. At Saint-Gilles, 400 squares of soil on Japanese paper carry strong symbolism. The installations aim to reawaken a lost connection to the earth as the matrix of life.