In curating this year’s video screenings for the prestigious Art Week Tokyo, acclaimed guest curator Sohrab Mohebbi meticulously examined emerging themes and patterns that seemed to resonate throughout various works. One compelling insight he discovered was the significant recurrence of concepts related to both overlapping and disjointed temporalities, highlighting the intricate interplay between time and experience. “I found there was a very poetic relationship, or a kind of continuity, around questions of temporal disruptions surrounding technology, the climate crisis, and different modes of being together,” explains Mohebbi, who serves as the director of SculptureCenter in New York.
This thought-provoking selection culminates in the AWT Video programme, aptly named Between Contrail and Mountains. It showcases 14 compelling video works by 13 international artists, each utilizing rituals of the past or the near future to contextualize their present experiences. Audiences will be invited to engage with the single-channel video presentations, screened on a loop within a specially constructed pavilion at Tokyo’s SMBC East Tower, where they can immerse themselves in artistic reflections addressing a spectrum of themes – from weather-induced catastrophes and ancient rituals to the new realities being shaped and forewarned by technology.
Saori Miyake’s powerful new film Seascape (Suzu) 2 (2024) poignantly portrays the picturesque coastal city on Japan’s Noto Peninsula, capturing its spirit before and after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that struck on New Year’s Day. Ting-Tong Chang’s engaging film The Blue Wave Women (2022) masterfully intertwines Korean folk songs and shamanic tales with modern influences, effectively reimagining the mythology surrounding Jeju Island. In Ai Iwane’s evocative film No Man Ever Steps in the Same River Twice (2020), the fading narratives of the Issei—Japanese immigrants to the Americas—are delicately woven with the displacement and disasters triggered by the 2011 Fukushima earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident, from which their ancestors had migrated generations prior. Additionally, artists such as Tishan Hsu, with his work grass-screen-skin (2022), and Mika Ninagawa, with Sanctuary of Blossoms (2024), create imaginative realms where the boundaries between technology and nature dissolve.
Mohebbi’s thematic exploration purposefully contrasts two vastly different temporalities: the rapid velocity of an airplane cutting across the sky, leaving its ephemeral vapor trails, against the enduring stability and symbolism embodied by towering mountain ranges. He observes, “In today’s rapidly evolving digital age, it seems there has been an overall accelerationist tendency to choose the contrail and the plane over the mountain.”
The video series is crafted not as a critique steeped in technological pessimism but serves as a canvas for the featured artists to express “different ways of relating to our life here on earth,” Mohebbi affirms. This ongoing sense of fluidity threads the works together, allowing them to resonate without diluting their unique messages. “The significant challenge in curating a programme or discovering a connecting thread is ensuring it does not impose anything over the works,” he explains. “The standalone quality of each work is paramount for me, and I hope this thematic outline will encourage viewers to genuinely engage with the individual pieces.”
• Between Contrail and Mountains, SMBC East Tower 1F, 1-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, 7-10 November, 10am-6pm
**Interview with Sohrab Mohebbi, Guest Curator of Art Week Tokyo**
**Editor:** Thank you for joining us, Sohrab. It’s exciting to have you here to discuss your role as the guest curator for this year’s Art Week Tokyo. Let’s start with the overarching theme you’ve focused on – the interplay between temporalities. Can you tell us what inspired you to investigate this concept?
**Sohrab Mohebbi:** Thank you for having me. The inspiration came from observing how contemporary artists are grappling with the complexities of time in our current reality—especially in relation to technology, the climate crisis, and how we experience being together. There was a poetic quality to these themes that I felt needed to be explored in a deeper manner.
**Editor:** Your program, titled *Between Contrail and Mountains*, features 14 video works from international artists. What do you hope audiences will take away from these pieces?
**Sohrab Mohebbi:** I hope audiences will engage fully with the diverse narratives presented. Each film offers a unique perspective on temporal disruptions: from the emotional weight of natural disasters to the cultural rediscovery of ancient rituals. By showing these works, we’re inviting viewers to reflect on their own relationship with time, nature, and technology.
**Editor:** Saori Miyake’s *Seascape (Suzu) 2* poignantly depicts the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Why was it important for you to include a piece that addresses such a monumental event?
**Sohrab Mohebbi:** It was crucial to include works that speak to significant historical events, as they shape collective memory and identity. Miyake’s film serves as a powerful reminder of the fragility of life and the resilience of communities in the face of disaster. It challenges the audience to consider how our environments and experiences are interwoven with time.
**Editor:** You also feature Tishan Hsu and Mika Ninagawa, whose works explore the fusion of technology and nature. How do you see this interplay evolving in the coming years?
**Sohrab Mohebbi:** The merging of technology and nature is an inevitable path we are on. Artists like Hsu and Ninagawa invite us to reimagine our relationships with both realms. I believe we’ll see more works that challenge us to consider how technology can be both a tool for connection and a potential barrier in our connection to the natural world.
**Editor:** Lastly, what would you say is the role of art in shaping our understanding of time and experience today?
**Sohrab Mohebbi:** Art has the unique ability to encapsulate and communicate complex ideas and emotions in ways that other forms of information cannot. It encourages introspection and discussions about the temporal nature of our existence, fostering a deeper connection to our shared human experience and the world around us.
**Editor:** Thank you, Sohrab, for sharing insights into your curatorial vision and the thought-provoking works featured in *Between Contrail and Mountains*. We’re looking forward to experiencing the program at Art Week Tokyo.
**Sohrab Mohebbi:** Thank you! I’m excited for audiences to immerse themselves in these explorations.
