Ryoichi Kurokawa Wins Richard Mille Art Prize with Site-Specific Installation at Louvre Abu Dhabi

Japanese audiovisual artist Ryoichi Kurokawa, a Berlin-based creator since 2010, has been awarded the fifth Richard Mille Art Prize. His winning site-specific installation, skadw– (2025), is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi, responding to the Art Here 2025 theme of 'shadow' through the Japanese aesthetic concept of ma—valuing intervals in space and time. Kurokawa's practice, which began in the late 1990s, centers on capturing natural phenomena using technology, blending images and sound synesthetically to produce immersive installations and live performances. He often collaborates with scientists, as in unfold (2016), where he worked with an astrophysicist to visualize stellar data. His works, such as the 2018 pieces elementum and Ittrans, also explore natural entropy and order through digital and sculptural forms. Kurokawa draws inspiration from his upbringing near Osaka, Japan, emphasizing nature's deconstruction and reconstruction. In skadw–, light and fog interact in a corridor, allowing viewers to define their own experience of ma, with the installation's design influenced by the kanji character for ma. The artist's meticulous approach integrates environmental conditions at Louvre Abu Dhabi, using natural light shifts between day and night.