Rinko Kawauchi: a faraway shining star, twinkling in hand

In the organizer's words:

In a world characterized by change and chaos, where the pace of life seems relentless, there is a quiet revolution: the art of being in the here and now. It is in the often overlooked everyday moments that we find strength. Their presence becomes a defiant act that grounds us when the world seems to be moving too fast.

When Rinko Kawauchi visited Iceland in the summer of 2019, she felt the need to slow down and take space for reflection. Surrounded by geysers and glaciers, her need was fulfilled: "I felt like I was a fetus enveloped by the earth and I felt a connection to this planet that I had never felt before." Later that year, she wanted to travel back to Iceland, but the COVID-19 pandemic stopped her. Instead, she visited the Japanese island of Hokkaido several times that winter. These experiences led to the creation of the series M/E, which stands for "Mother Earth".

To celebrate Rinko Kawauchi's dreamy and poetic images, Fotografiska Berlin is opening the exhibition a faraway shining star, twinkling in hand. The exhibition includes various works, from

photographs to video art. Kawauchi combines micro and macro perspectives in her work, which is particularly evident in the contrast of the series: Everyday Situations in the Face of Great Natural Phenomena.

This exhibition examines the facets of human transience and shows Kawauchi's own ageing process. It also poses questions about the future of our planet: Will the earth continue to warm, causing the glaciers she photographed in Iceland to melt completely? How can we improve the place we live in the time we have left?

a faraway shining star, twinkling in hand is Kawauchi's attempt to confront the questions for which there are no answers. Why are we living here and now and how can we make the best of it?