YUKO MOHRI
Artist
ISSUE 3 2025 AW
Yuko Mohri represented Japan at the 2024 Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition and is currently holding a solo exhibition, “Entanglements,” at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan. She has created numerous installations that imbue everyday household items with electricity, magnetism and sound. We caught up with her about the origins of her creative output.
Mohri’s representative work, the Moré Moré (Leaky) series, originated from rain leaks in a subway station. She photographed station staff using buckets and plastic sheets to improvise makeshift rain collection, and this led to the development of an installation. For this series—also exhibited in Venice—all kitchen utensils and furniture used as materials are sourced locally. The series has also been presented in France, Australia and China, where numerous workshops were held. Mohri finds value and fascination in things we casually overlook, elevating them into artworks. Her focus on the station staff’s resourceful improvisation is novel, but where does her distinctive expression come from?
“To begin with, expression is not something reserved only for artists. Because I have a lingering doubt about my professionalism in expression, I am interested in exploring what I’d call ‘wild expressions’ just as children are naturally expressive. Shinro Ohtake also has long been exploring similar ideas, and there is a great deal of inspiration to be gained from such ‘wild expressions.’ Many people might find a leaking site amusing, but very few take it seriously enough to turn it into art. At first, I was just taking photos of leaks as a personal hobby. It was only later, when I began to contextualize them within contemporary art, that I experimented with methods and approaches. I spent about five years of trial and error before arriving at the form of output I create today.”
The key to discovering interesting things, she explains, lies in movement: “If you stay in the same place, you can’t create new things. Movement is almost like a personal policy.” Changing up your environment, routine and shifting your creative space fosters a fresh perspective. She’s had many part-time jobs, including selling on the Shinkansen, explaining delivery lockers and working in a hostess-bar in Ginza. Rather than staying put in one place, she acts on impulse. A prime example is when she spontaneously went to Okinawa after a quick trip to the convenience store, simply because the film Nabbie’s Love was popular at the time. This lightness of foot became a stimulus and a source of inspiration. Even now, when she hits a creative block, she actively moves around.
“Yesterday, while visiting Hagi in Yamaguchi, I was reminded of a trip to the Akiyoshidai limestone cave years ago when I bought and carried home about 10 kilograms of stones—each hand-painted by an elderly woman with distorted images of Mickey Mouse and Doraemon. In Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, I stumbled upon a decaying old pram that happened to be lying around. I asked an old man working in the fields, ‘Is this going to be thrown away?’ He replied, ‘I used to ride in it myself.’ It was rather endearing so I brought it home. Unfortunately, though, I never ended up using them for anything—they’ve just been sitting out in the open at my parents’ house. (lol). Just that story alone gives me goosebumps. From there, I might conceive themes for my work.”
Upon hearing a school had closed down, she would dash off to collect discarded instruments and science experiment equipment. The collected items are stockpiled in large quantities in a warehouse. These are then pieced together like a puzzle according to theme, forming the artwork.
Through moving around, she gathers the raw materials for her work. In a past interview, Mohri mentioned that error, improvisation, and feedback were her key concepts.
“Like my friends Eiko Ishibashi and Yoshihide Otomo, as well as other experimental musicians, they transform their expression through improvisation, don’t they? That’s the part that gives me the biggest thrill when watching a concert. I feel that kind of excitement is quite hard to find in contemporary art. It would be wonderful to be able to reproduce it in my own work. ‘Feedback’ is a powerful exercise that doesn’t end after one go but rather keeps circulating and reiterating. ‘Error’ means not being discouraged by failure; on the contrary, failure itself brings new insights, the spirit of continuing to experiment. It’s about creating new music from white noise—that’s what I want to achieve in art.”
Music has always been close at hand, a source of her inspiration. She played the piano for twelve years, though she hated practicing pieces and was the sort of pupil who would suddenly declare, “I want to play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata!” During her high school years, she encountered John Cage and was drawn to the sense of playfulness in the very concept of piano performance. She was also thrilled by the scores of Iannis Xenakis, drawn not on staves but as diagrams. She recalls that adolescence as a time when thinking of the piano as a tool felt more natural than playing it.
Her latest work is the solo exhibition “Entanglements,” currently running in Milan until January. Why did she choose a title meaning ‘entanglement’?
“I am currently fascinated by the completely baffling concept of ‘quantum entanglement.’ On a more everyday level, when you leave cables alone, they inevitably get tangled; conversely, I’ve never seen untangled cables (lol). While tangled cables may not seem to be related to quantum entanglement, both are manifestations of natural phenomena, albeit in ways that are not immediately apparent. It once struck me how spiral structures in whirlpools and arabesque patterns have been depicted throughout history and around the world as symbols of eternal vitality. On the other hand, cables also have their internal wires twisted into a spiral structure to increase electrical efficiency. When a cable is wound into a coil, electricity circulates, generating magnetic force. I thought that both the arabesque pattern and the twisted cable possess a spiral structure that expresses invisible energy, and I thought this overlapped. In the case of ‘tangles,’ perhaps it’s a sense of energy becoming more complicatedly entangled, or something not working? It’s a pain to untangle cables, but there’s a reason they’re tangled. I wanted to capture this phenomenon in a positive light, and that’s why I chose this title. I can’t help but feel there’s a concept—something like entanglements—that stands in direct opposition to today’s obsession with rationality, efficiency and cost- effectiveness. There’s something deeply satisfying about making unnecessary movements, as if they carry a meaning or richness that calculated actions often lack.”
For the exhibition in Milan, as it is the first retrospective, nothing was sourced locally. She explains that while the preparations are made in advance, the spatial composition remains fluid, as she adjusts the installation on-site by listening closely to the sound balance.
“Next year, I’ll be holding a solo exhibition at a New York gallery. But with the U.S. facing tariff struggles and growing instability, even America— the heart of the contemporary art market—now feels a real sense of crisis. Art itself seems to be losing its place. In such times, there’s rising demand for artists like me, who work through improvisation. With war raging and the economy faltering, perhaps what’s needed is not structure, but human unpredictability.
In Venice, I found myself confronting a question: how can artists inscribe tragedy into the history of art in times like these??
I resonate with that search; the scale of the problem is so vast that even raising it demands physical and emotional stamina from both artist and viewer. In that context, I proposed a small, immediate gesture: one cannot stop a tsunami, but one might start by fixing a leak. In Venice,
I was gratified that this approach wasn’t seen as reductive but as a sincere, trial-and-error method of approaching complexity. The atmosphere shifted and clarity emerged; many remarked on the playful tone.
Grand themes matter, yet in moments of urgency, we risk losing ourselves in abstraction. Sometimes meaning is best found obliquely— by allowing things to decompose, following what resonates and allowing the larger theme to reappear through accumulation.”
Questionnaire
1
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What do you do?
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I’m an artist, and I mainly create installation works.
2
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What do you love most about your job?
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There’s something new to discover every day—finding new materials, meeting new people, visiting new places. I love that my work keeps me constantly refreshed and inspired.
3
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What do you love most about your job?
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I wasn’t originally skilled at creating works or expressing myself, but I enjoy pursuing things that I find interesting. By continuing to follow that path, I eventually ended up in a position where I could express myself—perhaps through a process of elimination.
4
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Who are the most influential persons in your life?
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I’m inspired by so many people—great artists, friends, family, and even those I meet for the first time. I really can’t choose just one!
5
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Describe yourself in 3 words
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Noisy, impatient, easy-going.
6
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What makes you feel good?
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Booze and music.
7
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What are you most interested in right now?
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Being healthy. Turning 45 really sparked my interest in taking care of my health.
8
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What are three things you cannot live without?
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Friends, alcohol, cars.
9
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What do you always have on you?
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Comb
10
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Tell us about your morning routine.
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Exercise every morning.
11
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When does inspiration come to you?
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Inspiration comes unexpectedly, so I always try to stay alert.
12
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What do you get immersed in, causing you to lose track of time?
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I lose track of time when I’m creating, especially at the museum when an installation is reaching its climax—more so than when I’m working in the studio.
13
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What is the ultimate luxury for you?
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Eating really delicious rice balls while surrounded by spectacular natural scenery.
14
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When do you feel stimulated or inspired?
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I think a similar question was asked earlier, so I’ll pass on this one.
15
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What is your favorite color?
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Green
16
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How do you face adversity when it arises?
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I actually thrive on it. I get overwhelmed, but also really excited. Somehow, facing challenges seems to make things turn out even better in the end.
17
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What is the most important decision you have made in your life?
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I don’t know. Once you add the words “the most,” I suddenly can’t decide.
18
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What was the most moving moment in your life?
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I don’t know about this one either. I guess you could say we are always in the moment.
19
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What is the most recent book you've finished reading?
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I’ve been busy lately, so instead of reading books from start to finish, I usually just skim the parts I need. It’s a bit sad.
20
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Who is your favorite author?
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I've always loved Leo Lionni and Bruno Munari since I was a child.
21
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What are your three favorite books on your bookshelf?
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Brancusi Photographe by Elizabeth A. Brown
Butsurigaku no Tanjou— Yamamoto Yoshitaka Jisenronshu I by Yoshitaka Yamamoto
Atelier by Gautier Deblonde.
Although, the first two aren’t actually on my bookshelf— they’re bathroom reading (lol).
22
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Where would you like to go on a trip right now?
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Sri Lanka… Actually, probably the mountains in Japan, like Nasu Highland. I have YouTube videos by Japanese comedian, Impulse Itakura to thank for that (lol).
23
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What’s a moment that moved you recently?
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I recently painted a large work, and it brought me a completely new sensation. It was a lot of fun.
24
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What is the most memorable place you’ve visited?
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I can’t answer that. Somehow, when I hear the words “the most,” my mind just freezes.
25
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Is there something you’ve loved doing and have kept doing since your childhood?
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Moving around.
26
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What is your favorite song or music you’ve been listening to recently?
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Antigone by Eiko Ishibashi Live At Glasshaus by Bilal
The live performances of Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso at Coachella and Fuji Rock.
27
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Who’s your favorite singer?
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I can’t choose just one, but musicians as a whole inspire me, so I try to collaborate with them whenever I can.
28
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What is the one thing that you cannot compromise on?
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Anti-war
29
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What are your three favorite movies?
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Ratatouille by Brad Bird
Madagascar by Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Ponyo by Hayao Miyazaki
30
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What kind of person do you find attractive?
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Every encounter is stimulating.
31
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When you meet someone for the first time, what’s the first thing that catches your eye?
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Whether they make eye contact when speaking, and the way the corners of their mouth curve :)
32
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What aroma or smell is most memorable to you?
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The smell of burnt dust when an old electric fan is turned on.
33
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What’s the best advice you’ve ever received from others?
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One piece of advice that really stuck with me was, “You don’t have to worry about doing the same thing over and over again.” It actually lowered the barrier for me to try new things.
34
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What do you wear in bed?
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I put on a bathrobe after my bath, then change into a T-shirt and pants before going to sleep.
35
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What are your most important values?
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Taking a moment to breathe.
