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Brooklyn NY United States
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Artist's Statement
Statement of Work
White Elephant
White Elephant is a ceramic sculpture installation in the form of a memorial that I would like to dedicate to the people of New York City, who are hopefully now ready to contemplate the larger meaning of 9/11 -- six years after this cataclysmic event. On 9/11/01, as the World Trade Center smashed to the ground and turned into a large smoking pile of debris, all of the bystanders on Church Street, including me, glimpsed an enormous cloud of smoke, which began creeping through the valley of the buildings on the street. I do not remember anything but my gasping for breath as I dashed up Church Street to run away from the smoke. Even though I was nearby that day, I cannot claim to understand the full impact of loss and grief. Instead, coming from Hiroshima-- whose own history of horror and destruction was imprinted on me since my childhood-- I am able to feel a profound sympathy.
In 2005, based on the western saying, “elephants never forget,” I created a life-sized elephant sculpture at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art. As a gesture of remembrance to commemorate the year, 2005, which was the sixtieth anniversary of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I created a metal framework in the shape of a reclining elephant and inserted branches and leaves from trees that survived the atomic bombing.
My approach for a memorial for 9/11 is to create a place of silence, in which imagination, spiritual reflection, and introspection can be evoked. Once again, I have chosen the elephant as a motif. The bodies of elephants can be viewed as dramatized versions of our human bodies. By the same token, I am interested in the gentleness of elephants as a way to convey hope for greater compassion. In Asia, the white elephant is derived from the legend of the birth of Buddha and thus has sacred implications. For a king or prince, having white elephants was regarded as a sustaining symbol of justice, peace and prosperity.
White Elephant will depict a scene in which a life-sized elephant is deconstructed and dispersed throughout the space. In one way, this composition resembles the meditative rocks of a Japanese Zen garden. In another way, this is a metaphorical description of scattered debris of the World Trade Center. However, the installation can also demonstrate the complexity of remembering 9/11 as a moment in which the equilibrium of the metaphorical and sacred meaning of the white elephant -- justice, peace and prosperity -- have become shattered in the current state of contemporary America. We lost thousands of lives in 9/11, however, we also have lost many more innocent children and their families in the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in all wars that never cease to exist; in other words, the unwelcome saga of our civilization. Can’t we recognize the sufferings of others’ through our very own?
With the project White Elephant, which I envision as a monument for 9/11, I intend to encourage the viewer to contemplate a more compassionate understanding of the difficult times we face.
Hiroshi Sunairi, 2007
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Hiroshi Sunairi
1972 Born in Hiroshima, Japan
1990 Studied at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah
1991 Transferred to Western Washington University
1992 Transferred to State University of New York at Purchase, major in Visual Arts (B.F.A.)
1995 After the graduation, Moved to Manhattan to pursue being an artist
2001 Works as an adjunct-professor at New York University, Steinhardt Ed, Dept of Art and to now Art Profession.
Solo Exhibitions
2005 “A Night of Elephants,” Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan
2001 “Buddha,” Andrew Kreps Gallery, NYC, USA
“Buddha,” Art Unlimited, Art/32/Basel, Switzerland
2000 “Early-Hiroshi,” L.A. Galerie, Frankfurt, Germany
“Big Bang Bang!” Galleri Wang, Oslo, Norway
1999 “Deception,” Andrew Kreps Gallery, NYC, USA
Museum Exhibitions
2007 “Making a Home: Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York,” Japan Society, NYC, USA
2002 “Self exposure,” Kunst- en Architectuurgeschiedenis Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2001 “The Americans,” Barbican Art Center, London, England
“Queer Visualities,” Staller Center at Stony Brook University, USA
2000 “Vertigo,” Ursula-Blickle-Stiftung, Kraichtal, Germany
“Vertigo,” Voralberger Kunstverein, Bregenz, Austria
“Desire,” Ursula-Blickle-Stiftung, Kraichtal, Germany
“Desire,” Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Bologna, Italy
Group Exhibitions
2008 “The Pless Hall Faculty Show” New York University, NYC, USA
“EMERGING WOR(L)D - Billboard Art” Tina B. - The Prague Contemporary Art Festival, Prague, Czech republic
“HeartWorks (Auction),” ICE BOX Project Space, Philadelphia, USA
“The Day of 39@rt ("thank you art"),” Contemporary Art Factory. FADs art space, Tokyo, Japan
“One of Something,”Barney Building at New York University, NYC, USA
“A Curator's Gift:Contemporary Photography from Diego Cortez ,”New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, USA
“Silence in the Light,” Venetia Kapernekas Gallery, NYC, USA
“Sound of Music,” Commons Gallery at New York University, NYC, USA
2007 “Visual AIDS: Postcards from the Edge,” James Cohan Gallery, NYC, USA
“Hobby Horse - Yeah, Yeah Dada Asia”Avanthay Contemporary, Zurich, Switzerland
“White Wave/Asian Artworks, Inc. Benefit Silent Auction”Dance Theater Workshop, NYC, USA
“Blue Sky Project 2007,” Oshima Gallery, Jyoetsu City, Japan
“Neointegrity,” Derek Eller Gallery, NYC, USA
2006 “Visual AIDS: Postcards from the Edge,” Sikkema Jenkins & Co., NYC, USA
“Crossing The Atlantic…uneasy spaces, ”Goldsmiths College, London, England
“YDF,” Daikanyama Hillside Plaza, Tokyo, Japan
2005 “Atomika,” Lombard-Fried Fine Arts, NYC, USA
“Back to the Garden (epop),” Ruby falls, NYC, USA
2004 “Look Closereclectic drawing show by 22 artists,” About Glamour, NYC, USA
“Connect The Dots,” Columbia University, NYC, USA
“Works on Paper, ”Southfirst, Brooklyn, NYC, USA
2003 “Dubrow International,” Kravets/Wehby Gallery, NYC, USA
“Late to Work Everyday,” Depreau, Chicago, USA
2002 “Enough About Me,” Momenta Art, Brooklyn, USA
“State of the Gallery,” Andrew Kreps Gallery, NYC, USA
2000 “Artists Who Make Pieces,” Andrew Kreps Gallery, NYC, USA
“Collector's Choice,” Exit Art, NYC, USA
“Fuel Serve,” Kenny Schachter/Rove, NYC, USA
“Blondies and Brownies,” Aktionsforum Parterinsel, Munich, Germany
“The Nocturnal Dream Show,” Pat Hearn Gallery, NYC, USA
“High five,” Galerie Schedler, Zurich, Switzerland
1999 “Dope,” American Fine Art, NYC, USA
“Papermake,” Modern Art Inc., London, England
“120 Artists,” Sixth@Prince, NYC, USA
“Answer Yes, No, or Don't Know,” Andrew Kreps Gallery, NYC, USA
1997 “Giftland: Consumption,” Printed Matter, NYC, USA
“E Plurals Nihil,” American Fine Arts, NYC, USA
“Hey! You never know,” Kenny Schachter/Rove, NYC, USA
1996 “Romper Room,” Thread Waxing Space, NYC, USA
“100 Photographs,” American Fine Art, NYC, USA
Performance Works
2001 “Arse About Face,” Jack Tilton Gallery, NYC, USA
“I'd give you everything I've got for a little peace of mind,” Tonic, NYC, USA
2000 “Hymn a l'amore,” Greene Naftali, NYC, USA
“A Collaboration Piece with Jonathan Bepler,” Tonic, NYC, USA
1999 “Hanasaku-komich (with Jun Iseyama),” PS1, NYC, USA
“Early-Hiroshi - Tie Me Up,” Andrew Kreps Gallery, NYC, USA
“Early-Hiroshi and Green Apple Science,” Exit Art, NYC, USA
“Influenza/Green Apple Science,” Jack Tilton Gallery, NYC, USA
1998 “IT IS EARLY-HIROSHI,” Gavin Brown Enterprise, NYC, USA
“Early Talk,” Kenny Schachter/Rove, NYC, USA
“Open Early Hiroshi,” American Fine Arts, NYC, USA
1997 “Early-Hiroshi Poetry Reading,” Kenny Schachter/Rove, NYC, USA
“L'egoiste Narcissiste Torturous Constructivist,” Sahara Classic, NYC, USA
“The Missing Case of Justin Yamaguchi,” Hotel 17, NYC, USA
1996 “In Calvin,”Knitting Factory, NYC, USA
“L'egoiste Narcissiste,”Holly Solomon Gallery, NYC, USA
“In Hiroshi's Room,” Hotel 17, NYC, USA
1995 “Hiroshi Sunairi by Hiroshi Sunairi,” Thread Waxing Space, NYC, USA
1994 “A Legacy of Jackson Pollock,” S.U.N.Y. Purchase, White Plains, USA
“Made In Picasso,” S.U.N.Y. Purchase, White Plains, USA
Curatorial Work/lecture
2008 “Asian Contemporary Art Consortium 08: Artists in Conversation with Yuken Teruya,” New York University, NYC, USA
“Intuition, Material, and Elephant,”New York University, NYC, USA
2006 “Artist on Art,” presented by Rubin Museum of art and Art Asia Pacific, RMA, NYC, USA
“Portrait, Landscape, Photography Workshop,” at Nippon Club, NYC, USA
2005 “Peace By Piece 2005,” Old Bank of Japan at Hiroshima Branch, Hiroshima, Japan
“Peace By Piece 2005,” Desbrosses Gallery, NYC, USA
“Nuclear Disarmament and Arts Symposium,” New York University, NYC, USA
“Peace By Piece” Lecture at NPT conference Room B, the United Nation, NYC, USA
2004 “Let's Laugh At Stereotypes,” About Glamour Gallery, NYC, USA
“The Exhibition of Color Photography,” New York University, NYC, USA
“Peace By Piece,” The Living Museum at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center and NYU, Guild & Greyshkul, NYC, USA
2003 “Present A '03,” Guest Lecture, Tokyo Geidai University, Japan
“Boredom with Everyday Life,” SOUTHFIRST Gallery, NYC, USA
“University of Girls/T-shirt by female artists of NY” United Bamboo, Tokyo, Japan
2001 “The Young Americans,” New York University, NYC, USA
“Life Expectancy Music,” Tonic, NYC, USA
1998 “No Wave Music Festival,” 407 Gallery, NYC, USA
1997 “L'en - A performance festival,” Life, NYC, USA
Catalogues/published materials
2008 “EMERGING WOR(L)D - Billboard Art” Tina B. - The Prague Contemporary Art Festival, Prague, Czech republic
“THE LAST BOOK,”A Project by Luis Camnitzer, the National Library, Spain
2007 “Making a Home: Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York,” Japan Society, NYC, USA
“Neointegrity, the catalogue” Keith Mayerson/Derek Eller Gallery, USA
2006 “Crossing the Atlantic...uneasy spaces,”
New York University, Steinhardt School of Ed, USA
2005 “Self-Exposure,” Rizzoli, USA
2003 “Present A Book (Present A '03 Document),” Tokyo Geidai University, Japan
2002 “Self exposure,” Kunst-en Architectuurgeschiedenis Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Netherlands
“Desire,” Peter Weirmeiyer, Germany/Italy
2001 “The Americans,” Barbican Art Center, London
“Vertigo,” Ursula Blickle Stiftung, Triton, Vienna, Austria
“Metronome: Bastard,” No.7 London, Paris, Oslo, Norway
“Art-Unilimited/Art/32/Basel/13-18,” Messed Basel, Germany
“New Nude,” Nerve.com, USA
1999 “Early-Hiroshi by Hiroshi Sunairi,” Nikon Sonderdruck #6, Vienna, Austria
Bibliography
2008 “Asian Contemporary Art Week.” Artco, April.
“Contemporary Art Week starts.” Shukan New York Seikatsu, Mar. 15
2007 “A Gingko Tree Grows in Brooklyn.” The Berkeley Carrol School: News
Jakubouski. “Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York.” Jakubouski (Thoughts on Art)
Eric Bryant. “Making a Home.” ARTnews, Dec.
Karen Rosenburg. “MAKING A HOME; Willingly or Unwillingly, Calling New York Their Home.” The New York Times, Nov.9
Jacob Margolies. “Next stop, 47th Street Expat Japanese artists show off diversity in Making a Home.”
Daily Yomiuri Online. Nov. 16
Robert C. Morgan. “Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York.” The Brooklyn Rail, Nov
Nancy Smith. “Japanese Homes.” Artloversnewyork.com, Oct. 10
Hiromi Morita. “Hiroshima-born Sunairi making a new work in New York: destruction of humanity of the world.”Chugoku Shim bun, Oct. 4
Holland Cotter. “Go Ahead, Expect Surprises.” The New York Times, Aug.9
Hiromi Morita. “Next generation of Hibaku Ginkgo Tree.” Chugoku Shim bun, May.12 p.31
“Artists on Spirituality.” Art Asia Pacific. No. 51 Winter 2007 p.87
2006 Masato Minoura, “On volunteer” Good Things about Japanese(The Logic of Architecture Realist Communism) Jul.1 p.93-96
“My New York Stories” Pop・in, Volume 5, 04.13-04.26 p.10
2005 “Elephants of August.” Peeler. Oct 15.
“The importance of drawing the image of future.” Chugoku Shim bun, Sep.29 p.30
Masakazu Domen. “Projecting memory on elephant.” Chugoku Shim bun, Sep.10 p.15
“An elephant of Hibaku tree quietly speaking.” Chugoku Shim bun/Family Minami-ku, Sep.
“American students learning about A-bomb, How did they grasp Peace?” Asahi Shim bun, Aug.18 p.23
“Making an elephant with Hibaku tree.” Asahi Shim bun, Aug.17 p.28
“Wishing for Peace with an elephant of Hibaku Tree.” Yomiuri Shim bun, Aug.17 p.31
“A Night of Elephant.” Living Hiroshima, August Issue
“A Night of Elephant.” Sunday Hikari, Aug. 20
“A challenge from the generation that never experienced A-bomb.” Chugoku Shim bun, Aug.17 p.22
“Wishing Peace into pieces of art works.” Chugoku Shim bun, Aug.14 p.24
Masae Okada. “Art of the city.” Wink Fukuyama/Bingo, Aug. No.241 p.100
“Memories of atomic bombings expored as pop art.” The Japan Times, July 21
“Making art with remaining of the atomic bombings.” Chugoku Shim bun, Jun.28 p.29
“Visiting Hiroshima with One Thousand Cranes.” Chugoku Shim bun, Jun.24 p.19
Holland Cotter. “Atomika.” The New York Times, Jul.22
2004 Sarah Portlock. “Young artists - students - open show exploring alter egos.” Washington Square News, Nov 17
Kana Kobayashi. “Peace By Piece works.” NY ARTS, Vol.9, No.7/8 p.95
Kana Kobayashi. “INSIDE TO OUTSIDE.” NY ARTS, Vol.9, No.5/6 pp.60-61
Yasuyo Hibino. “Peace By Piece.” Pen, 7/15, No.153 p.10
2003 Takashi Shiraishi. “Interview with young artist, Hiroshi Sunairi.” Wendy Hiroshima, Nov.1
“Post Card Travelers.” Bijutsu Techo, Vol.55, No.836 pp.153-154
Roberta Smith. “Playful Narcissist’s Song of Himself.” The New York Times, Nov.14 p. E31/E39
Carmen Zita. “Musical Performance and Explicit Photographs.” Trace Magazine, No.35
2002 Charles Darwent. “American Art is Different Now.” The Independent on Sunday, Oct.28
2001 Aric Chen. “The young Asian male.” Dutch Magazine, Sep/Oct. No.35 pp.2-3
“Hiroshi Sunairi.” The New Yorker, Oct.8
Kim Levin. “Voice Choice: Hiroshi Sunairi.” The Village Voice, Sep.25
Roberta Smith. “Hiroshi Sunairi.” The New York Times, Sep.14 p. E26
Kunie Sugiura, “New York.” Bijutsu Techo, December. Pp.178
Yayoi Kojima.“Art/32/Basel.” Ryuko Tsushin, Sep.
Hiroshi Sunairi. “D'early-Hiroshi.” Richardson, Issue A2 p.12
Vince Aletti. “First Take: Vince Aletti on Hiroshi Sunairi.” Art forum, Jan. Vol.39 No.5 p.126
2000 Manami Fujimori. “Hiroshi Sunairi's Early Hiroshi.” Dune, No.20 pp.159-160
Alexander Puhringer. “Sex + Porn.” Frame, Sep/Oct. No.4 pp.62-63
Roberta Smith. “Na'er Do Wells.” The New York Times, Aug.4
Marc Peschke. “Schimmernde Gegenwart.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Jul.29
Holland Cotter. “The Nocturnal Dream Show.” The New York Times, Jul.28
Sandra Danicke. “Junge mit Cola.” Frankfurter Rundschau, Jul.18
“HIROSHI SUNAIRI.” Nerve, May-Jun. No.1 p.95
Grady T. Turner. “Sexually Explicit Art.” Flash Art, May-Jun. No.212 pp.92-96
Manami Fujimori. “Very New Art 2000.” Bijutsu Techo, Jan. Vol.52 No.782 pp.212-213
Kim Levin. The Village Voice, Oct.5
Jerry Saltz. “Where the Boys Are.” The Village Voice, Oct.5
Danie Pinchbreck. The Art Newspaper, Oct. Vol X, No. 96
1999 Vince Aletti. The Village Voice, Sep.28
Holland Cotter. “Hiroshi Sunairi.” The New York Times, Sep.24 p. E36
Jerry Saltz. “Hungry Hearts.” The Village Voice, Sep.14
Shave, Stuart. “Constant Stiffies.” I-D Magazine, Jun.
Bill Arning. “Multiple Choice.” The New York Times, Feb.16
1998 Susan Hamburger. Waterfront Week, Sep.13 p.8
Kenny Schachter. Zing Magazine, Mar.
Corey Sabourin. “Hiroshi Mon Amour.” Out Magazine, Nov.
1996 “Dear Diary:” Fruit Magazine, Summer No.3
Text/Photo by Sunairi
2007 Hiroshi Sunairi. “Noh Sang Kyoon.” Art Asia Pacific. No. 52 Mar/Apr 2007 p.124
Hiroshi Sunairi. “Buddha Mind in Contemporary Art.” Art Asia Pacific. No. 51 winter 2007 pp.126-127
2005 Hiroshi Sunairi. “When I was a high school student, and I am now.” Sanyo Dousoukai Kaihou. No. 12 Nov.30 p.3
Television Broadcast
2007 Nippon Television. New York Broadcast, “Japanese Artists in New York.”
NHK. “Japanese Contemporary Artitsts in New York.” Oct. 6.
2005 Nippon Television. New York Broadcast, “Peace Art Exhibition by American Students.” Jun 2.
RCC Evening News in Hiroshima. “A Feature Program.” July 2.
RCC News. Angle E Hiroshima Born Artist’s Hiroshima, “Elephants Never Forget” Jul 2. 6:24pm
RCC. Today Departing, “Hibaku Tree’s Art Exhibition.”
Chugoku Television. Topic, “Making Art of Peace in New York.” August 17.
Hiroshima television. “An Inheritor of Hiroshima – through Art of an Elephant.” Aug 17.
Hiroshima Home Television. “A Night of Elephant.” Sep 8.
NHK. “Projecting the Memory of Hiroshima on Elephants.” Sep 16.
NHK. “Projecting the Memory of Hiroshima on Elephants.” Sep 17.
Home ANN Home News. “Artist living in New York using an interesting motif to create his Hiroshima.”
Chugoku Cable Television. “Hiroshima-Born Artist’s Solo Exhibition on the Theme of Peace.”
2004 NHK BS1. The World’s Watch, “New York University Students’ Hiroshima.” August 6th.
Hiroshima television. HTV News, “Wishing for Peace, One Thousand Cranes from New York.” August 5.
Nippon Television. New York Broadcast, “Pouring Wishes of Peace in New York.”
Grants
PS1 Studio Grant, NYC