Tatsuru Arai

Schauburg

Face of the Universe (2022)

“Face of Universe” is a large-scale projection that shows images of plants, textures, and numbers in fluid transitions. The artist has researched plants in urban and rural areas, incorporating aspects of geopolitics, topography, and ecosystem analysis. With the support of AI-based systems, Arai developed his performative compositions, which can be understood as mapping of ecosystems.

The work focuses on plants as CO2-processing organisms, highlighting their crucial role in climate change and the global carbon cycle. The artist combines ecological themes with geopolitical and social contexts by referring to current global challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, and social inequality. The work aims to raise awareness of the complexity and interconnectedness of global ecosystems.

“Face of Universe” is an attempt to use the means of art to convey complex global relationships through the synthesis of nature and technology. The work challenges us to consider the connections between microcosms and macrocosms — in the spirit of Alexander von Humboldt’s “Everything is connected to everything”.

*Developed during European Media Art Platform residency in Košice, produced by Creative Industries Kosice, funded by Slovak Arts Council and Creative Europe, in collaboration with Boris Vaitovič.

INSTALLATIONS

2024 | London (uk), eARTh Gallery
2024 | Rauma (fi), LUMENRAUMA
2023 | Leeuwarden (nl), LUNA Festival
2023 | Turin (it), SHARE Festival
2023 | Marseille (fr), DIGITALE ZONE
2023 | Paris (fr), ISEA
2022 | Funchal (pt), IMAGE PLAY
2022 | Montreal (ca), SAT Festival
2021 | Tartu (ee), TAVA
2020 | Bogotá (co), FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE LA IMAGEN
Since 2013 |  Regular exhibition activities worldwide

PERFORMANCES

2024 | Rom (it), TANT Festival
2024 | Tongyeong (kr), TONGYEONG INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
2023 | Glasgow (uk), SONICA
2023 | Geneva (ch), MAPPING FESTIVAL
2022 | Seoul (kr), ZERO1NE Festival
2021 | Breslau (pl), Centrum Sztuki WRO
2021 | Krakau (pl), PATCH LAB
2018 | Madrid (es), MADATAC
2018 | Berlin (de), TRANSMEDIALE
2018 | Amsterdam (nl), SONIC ACTS ℅ EYE Filmmuseum
2017 | Tolmin (si), SAJETA Festival
2017 | Helsinki (fr), FLOW Festival
2017 | Mannheim (de), B-Seite Festival
2014 | London (uk), KINETICA
Since 2013 | Regular performance activities worldwide

STUDIES

2009 — 2013 | Berlin (de), Hanns-Eisler-Music Academy: MA
2003 — 2009 | Tokio (jp), Tokio Music Akademy: BA/Diploma

BIO
Lives in Berlin (de)
1981 Born in Tokio (jp)

LINKS

INTERVIEW
tatsuruarai.com
@tatsuru_arai
vimeo.com