Takahiro Iwasaki Discusses Japan's 2017 Venice Biennale Pavilion and Exhibition Strategy

Takahiro Iwasaki represents Japan at the 2017 Venice Biennale with a site-specific exhibition in the Giardini. The artist created six new installations specifically for the event, alongside his 2014 work Reflection Model. Each piece incorporates an invisible water surface as a connecting element. Iwasaki typically uses found household items for on-site installations, but approached this exhibition differently due to the Japanese Pavilion's location in another country. He views the pavilion as a rare opportunity to represent national identity through his personal ideology. The artist considers the Venice Biennale uniquely significant among global biennials because of its national pavilion structure and critical depth. He acknowledges the problematic nature of national representation, noting it can exclude emerging art scenes from immigrant communities and regions like India and Southeast Asia. Iwasaki values critical written responses most among diverse audiences, believing they offer perspectives artists might otherwise miss. He recalls the excitement of first arriving at Santa Lucia railway station and seeing Venice's canals. The artist looks forward to conversations with diverse attendees during the vernissage and visiting a large historic bookstore on the Lido. He references the Armenian Pavilion's 2015 Golden Lion win as evidence of the Giardini's importance for measuring artistic value through historical context.