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Same but different

Same but different

By Jacklyn Yeong

The Garden of Forking Paths is the first in an annual series of international exhibitions held at Buxton Contemporary.

Bringing together contemporary artworks of Japanese artist Takehito Koganezawa and Australian artist Mira Gojak, both renowned artists with a similar vision will be collaborating their practices presented through very different timeframes, durations and approaches to making.

Inheriting its name from the 1941 short story of the same name by modernist Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, the exhibition curated works of both artists across both floors of the gallery.

Deriving part philosophy, part science fiction and part riddle of Borges’ multidimensional text, curators Shihoko Iida and Melissa Keys wanted to find points of connection and divergence in the trajectories from works created by both artists.

“Both artists lyrically register the fluid instabilities of existence and consciousness – shifting gravities interspersed with moments of weightlessness, the flux and passage of time, and the very elemental processes of growth, entropy and decay,” they said. “Observing the affinities, differences, overlapping and divergent impulses that link and separate Gojak and Koganezawa’s work, The Garden of Forking Paths seeks to enter into the evocative, multiple parallel possibilities, realities and territories that they each poetically create.”

Melbourne-based Mira Gojak will be presenting new photography-based works alongside drawings, sculptures and installations spanning more than 20 years while her counterpart Takehito Koganezawa will be represented by specially-made performative video drawings and new improvisational works with a sampling of earlier works on paper.

Mira told Southbank Local News how the collaboration with Takehito involved sharing another artist’s practice and delving back into her past works spanning over two decades.

“It’s been a really enriching experience to collaborate on this project with Takehito and the co-curators,” said Mira.

 

Takehito and I share similar interests and there are many commonalities between our experiences as professional artists but also lots of fascinating differences between how we live and practice in different cities and countries.

 

Mira’s work will be presented in direct dialogue with Takehito’s practice. The artist mostly drew inspiration from an array of sources from books to films, friends to artists and colleagues.

“In recent years I participated in an Australia Council studio residency in Barcelona, which was an incredible experience. Many of the works that I have produced since then reflect on things I saw and experienced during that time,” she said.

The Garden of Forking Paths will be exhibited until 17 February 2019 at Buxton Contemporary, for more information visit buxtoncontemporary.com

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