WORKS

The trio “World Dirt Association”—comprising Yoshitaka Nanjo, James Jack, and Shotaro Yoshino—participated in the “Water and Soil Art Festival 2015,” held in Niigata Prefecture from this summer through fall. There, they created a work in which they collected soil from various regions, arranged it all at the same level within a single space, spent time with it, and observed how the soil developed. Some of this soil was collected by the artists themselves, while other samples were sent to them by local residents in each region, who were asked to participate by reflecting on and becoming more aware of the soil in their immediate surroundings. It felt almost like a collection of personal letters gathered from across the country.

Artists Shotaro Yoshino, James Jack and Yoshitaka Nanjo formed the World Dirt Association (WDA) in 2014 to pursue creative approaches toward the earth. Their site-specific installation work Dirt Stage included over one-hundred samples of dirt at the Water and Land Festival 2015 in Niigata. This exhibition reflects on WDA past and future while also considering new perspectives on dirt in society today.