EI ARAKAWA
Born 1977 in Fukushima, Japan
Lives and works in New York
Education
2004-6, MFA in Film/Video, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
2005-6, Whitney Independent Study Program, New York
2000-4, BFA, School of Visual Arts, New York
Awards/Residencies
2009
DAAD Artist-in-Residency, Berlin
Kunstzeitraum, Ottmann GmbH & Co Südhausbau KG and PIN. Freunde der Pinakothek der
Moderne, Munich, Germany
Artists’ Fellowship (Interdisciplinary Work), New York Foundation for the Arts
2008
The Altoids Award, New Museum, New York
Randolph Cliff, organized by Clémentine Deliss and Charles Asprey, Edinburgh College of Art
and the National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
2007
Honorable Mention, International Prize for Performance – Third Edition, Galleria Civica di Arte
Contemporanea, in collaboration with centrale FIES, Trento, Italy
Solo Exhibitions
Grand Openings indicated by (GOS)
2010
Casco - The Office for Art, Design and Theory, with Mari Mukai, Gela Patashuri, and Sergei
Tcherepnin, Utrecht, Netherlands
"I am an employee of United," Galerie Neu, Berlin
2009
"Non-Solo Show, Non-Group Show," Künsthalle Zürich, curated by Beatrix Ruf, with Nikolas
Gambaroff, Nick Mauss, and Nora Schultz
Prochoice Gallery, with Nikolas Gambaroff, Vienna
Künstlerhaus Stuttgart, with Sergei Tcherepnin, curated by Axel John Wieder
"Grand Openings," Sculpture Center, New York (GOS)
New Jerseyy, with Gela Patashuri and Sergei Tcherepnin, Basel
Taka Ishii Gallery, Kyoto
2008
Front Room at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, curated by Anthony Huberman, St. Louis,
MO
Franco Soffiantino Arte Contemporanea, Turin, Italy, with Henning Bohl and Nora Schultz
Group Exhibitions
Grand Openings indicated by (GOS)
2010
"Frieze Projects," with Karl Holmqvist, curated by Sarah McCrory, London
"Pro Choice in Schattendorf," with Nikolas Gambaroff, Kunstverein Schattendorf, Austria
"Greater New York," PS1 Contemporary Art Center, New York (cat.) (GOS)
"GNY: 5 Year Review," PS1 Contemporary Art Center, New York
"Scene Grammar," Parra and Romero, Madrid (GOS)
"PROVENCE," Halle fuer Kunst, Lueneberg, Germany
"Runaway Train," Bonnierkonsthall, Stockholm (GOS)
2009
"Tbilisi 6. Never On Sunday," with Sergei Tcherepnin, curated by Daniel Baumann, Tbilisi,
Georgia
“"S A BOOK, IS A SHOP, IS A SHOW," curated by Egija Inzule and Maja Wismer, The Latvian
Centre for Contemporary Art, Riga (GOS)
"Bridges and Tunnels: New Jerseyy at Hard Hat," Hard Hat, Geneva (GOS)
"Collaborations," with Nora Schultz, curated by Gernot Wieland, Autocenter, Berlin
"Bulletinboard Blvd.," with Patrick Price, Pro Choice, Vienna
"Younger Than Jesus," New Museum, New York
2008
“TBILISI 5. Wednesday was Thursday," with Sergei Tcherepnin, Gela Patashuri, and Daniel
Baumann, curated by Daniel Baumann, Tbilisi, Georgia
Yokohama Triennale 2008, with Mari Mukai, directed by Tsutomu Mizusawa, Kanagawa, Japan
(cat.)
“2008 Altoids Award”, curated by Massimiliano Gioni and Jarrett Gregory, New Museum, NY
(cat.)
“Shadow Play (I) – Shadow of Things”, Studio Sassa Trülzsch, Berlin, Germany
2007
“TERRIBLE VIDEO”, organized by John Kelsey, Kunsthalle Zürich Parallel, Zurich, Switzerland
(GOS)
“TBILISI 4. Everyday is Saturday”, curated by Daniel Baumann, Cumberto/Space, Tbilisi, Georgia
(cat.) (GOS)
“Making a Home”, curated by Eric Shiner, Japan Society Gallery, NY (cat.)
“A screening project organized by Paul Chang and Jay Sanders”, Lyon Biennial, Lyon, France,
with Sergei Tcherepnin
“Syntropia”, NGBK – Neue Gesellschaft fur Bildende Kunst, Berlin, Germany
“Various Small Fires”, curated by the MA in Curating Contemporary Art, Royal College of Art,
London (cat.)
“For the People of Paris”, organized by Sean Paul, Scott Lyall, and Blake Rayne, Sutton Lane,
Paris (cat.)
2006
“Bunch Alliance and Dissolve”, organized by Public-Holiday Projects, Contemporary Arts Center,
Cincinnati, Ohio (cat.) (GOS)
“Tbilisi 3. Let’s Stay Alive Till Monday”, organized by Daniel Baumann, Children National Gallery,
Tbilisi, Georgia (GOS)
“Keep Passing The Open Windows, or Happiness”, curated by Anke Kempkes, Galerie Gisela
Capitain, Cologne
“Continuous Project #8”, CNEAI, Paris/Chatou, France, with Simon Baier (exh. cat.)
“Whitney Independent Study Studio Program Exhibition 2005 – 2006”, Chelsea Art Museum, NY
2005
“Tbilisi 2. Wednesday Calls The Future”, organized by Art Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory
and Daniel Baumann, National Art Center, Tbilisi, Georgia (GOS)
“Lesser New York”, organized by Fia Backstrom Production, Brooklyn, NY (exh. cat.)
2004
“Succeeding Where The Hippies Failed”, curated by Ethan Breckenridge, LeRoy Neiman Gallery,
Columbia University, NY
“Don’t Think About Me, I’m Alright”, Greene Naftali Gallery, NY
“Poets of Miniature”, curated by Clifford Borress, Office Ops, Brooklyn, NY
“Diversity + Self-Identity”, curated by Jeanne Siegel, Visual Arts Gallery, NY
Performances
Grand Openings indicated by (GOS)
2010
"Frieze Projects," with Karl Holmqvist, curated by Sarah McCrory, Frieze Art Foundation, London
"Frozen Moments: Architecture Speaks Back," with Mari Mukai, Gela Patashuri and Sergei
Tcherepnin, Laura Palmer Foundation and The Other Space Foundation, Tbilisi, Georgia (cat.)
"Runaway Train," Bonnierskonsthall, Stockholm (GOS)
"Springdance," with Mari Mukai, Gela Patashuri and Sergei Tcherepnin, in conjunction with
Casco, Utrecht, Netherlands
“International Symposium and Performance: Saying Yes to Say No: Art and Culture in Sixties
Japan,” The University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor
Galerie Neu, Berlin
2009
"Tbilisi 6. Never On Sunday," with Sergei Tcherepnin, Tbilisi, Georgia
Künsthalle Zürich, with Nikolas Gambaroff, Nick Mauss, and Nora Schultz
COCO, with Nikolas Gambaroff, Vienna
"Calling Out of Context," as Teppich (with Sergei Tcherepnin), Institute of Contemporary Art,
London
"Paper (a magazine)," with Nikolas Gambaroff, Künstlerhaus Wien, Vienna
"Atti Democratici," with Nikolas Gambaroff, curated by Angelika Burtscher, Luigi Coppola, Daniele
Lupo, Judith Wielander, Bozen/Bolzano, Italy
White Heat, Stuttgart, with Sergei Tcherepnin, in conjunction with Künstlerhaus Stuttgart
New Jerseyy, Basel
2008
"The Color Ball," with Scott Lyall, The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada (cat.)
“8864 3362 2250 Z1 CDGRT”, BaliceHertling, Paris, France, with Nikolas Gambaroff
“The Altoids Award 2008”, New Museum, New York (cat.)
Yokohama Triennale 2008, Kanagawa, Japan, with Mari Mukai (cat.)
"Bumbershoot 08," organized by the Henry Art Gallery, Seattle Center, Seattle, USA (GOS)
Front Room at Contemporary Art Museum, curated by Anthony Huberman, St. Louis, USA
“Finishing School at Edinburgh College of Art”, with Stefan Tcherepnin, organized by Clémentine
Deliss and The Embassy, Edinburgh
“Nichts IST AUFREGEND. Nichts IST SEXY. Nichts IST NICHT PEINLICH”, curated by Achim
Hochdörfer and Tanja Widmann, MUMOK – Museum Modern Kunst Stiftung Ludwig,Vienna
(GOS)
“Non-solo show, Non-group show”, Franco Soffiantino Arte Contemporanea, Turin
“Egypted”, curated by Will Benedict, Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna (cat.)
2007
Performa07, directed by Roselee Goldberg, organized by Eric Shiner, Japan Society Lobby, NY,
with Amy Sillman (exh. cat.)
“International Prize for Performance – Third edition”, Galleria Civica in collaboration with centrale
FIES, Trento, Italy
“Syntropia”, NGBK – Neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst, Berlin, Germany (exh. cat.)
“One Season In Hell”, organized by Nick Mauss and Ken Okiishi, Gavin Brown’s enterprise, NY
“Dead Already”, organized by Kim Gordon and Jutta Koether, Reena Spaulings Fine Art, NY
“Various Small Fires”, Royal College of Art, London, UK (exh. cat.)
“For the People of Paris”, Sutton Lane, Paris, France, as Togawa Fan Club (exh. cat.)
2006
“Meerrettich On Ice”, as Togawa Fan Club, organized by Josef Strau, Völksbühne Sternfoyer am
Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Berlin
“Movement Research at the Judson Church “About Town””, as Togawa Fan Club, Judson
Church, New York
“The Metal Magazine”, with Nora Schultz, Galerie Meerrettich, Berlin
“Keep Passing The Open Windows, or Happiness”, Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne, Germany
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006, directed by Fram Kitagawa, Tsunan High School, Nigata,
Japan (exh. cat.) (GOS)
magicalART ROOM, Tokyo, Japan (GOS)
“Grand Openings”, MFA Thesis Presentation, Bard College, NY
“The Dimes of March”, Reena Spaulings Fine Art, NY
2005
“Empty Space WITH Exciting Events”, with Sam Lewitt, curated by Christian Rattemeyer, Artists
Space, NY
Performa05, curated by Jay Sanders, Anthology Film Archives, New York (cat.) (GOS)
“RIOT THE BAR”, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
“Greater New York 2005”, P.S.1 Center for Contemporary Art, New York
2004
“Succeeding Where The Hippies Failed”, LeRoy Neiman Gallery, Columbia University, New York
“Don’t Think About Me, I’m Alright”, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York
“Mid-Yuming as Reconstruction Mood”, Reena Spaulings Fine Art, New York
2003
“The Club in the Shadow”, with Nick Alexander, curated by Jutta Koether and Kim Gordon, Kenny
Schachter ConTEMPorary, New York
Other Contributions
Grand Openings indicated by (GOS)
2010
Reconfiguring the installation of Charlotte Posenenske exhibition, Artists Space, New York
“Interview with Malik Gaines”, Provence – Issue O, Lacoste, France
A double talk with Ruth Buchanan, organized by Egija Inzule and Maja Wismer, Hammerstrasse
133, Basel
2009
Contribution to Visionaire 57, Winter 2009
“The Art of Making Dances”, The Kitchen, New York, props for a performance by Chase Granoff
(cat.)
"Papar," with Nikolas Gambaroff, Vienna
Wahre Koenige Magazine, no. 1, ed. Armin Lorenz Gerold and Manfred Hubmann, Vienna
“Art Premiere”, Taka Ishii Gallery at Basel Art Fair, Basel (cat.) (GOS)
“Ei Arakawa Presents the Works of Manfred Pernice's Objekt Bildhauerei Class From the
"Exhibition Dr. Fragenstein After the Film Screening and During the Closing of Jos De Gruyter &
Harald Thys at Pro Choice,” Pro Choice, Vienna
Unnameable Books, New York, as Ouroboros
“John Clair Night”, Roulette, New York, as Ouroboros
“Shinkoyo Circus:Improv/Comp”, Roulette, NY, as Ouroboros
Illustration for May, no.1, edited by Catherine Chevalier and Eva Svennung, Paris, France, June
2009 (GOS)
2008
“Ouroboros Concert”, The Tank, New York, as Ouroboros
“As if Scale”, with Nora Schultz, Reena Spaulings Fine Art, New York
"Novel (one)," Berlin-London, ed. Alan Rowlands and Matt Williams, London
Reena Spaulings Fine Art at Frieze Art Fair, London
Taka Ishii Gallery at Frieze Art Fair, London, UK, with Daniel Baumann (cat.) (GOS)
“11 sessions”, with Nicolás Guagnini, organized by Karin Schneider, John Miller and Matt
Keegan, Orchard, New York
2007
Illustration for "Matrose," as Togawa Fan Club, edited by Nadira Husain, Francesca Lacatena,
Megan Sullivan, Berlin
"Radio Danièle," as RIOT THE BAR, organized by John Kelsey and Christopher Williams, Radio
LoRa in conjunction with Kunsthalle Zurich
"Radio Danièle," as RIOT THE BAR, organized by John Kelsey and Christopher Williams, Citta
"Del Capo Radio Metropolitana," in collaboration with GAM Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Bologna
2006
Illustration for “. . . “, Gareth James, John Kelsey, Josef Strau, Frankfurt: Portikus, 2006
2005
"North Drive Press #2," with Richard Aldrich, edited by Matt Keegan, New York
"New Labor," curated by Eric Angles, LeRoy Neiman Gallery, Columbia University, New York
(cat.)
"Etc.," organized by Matt Keegan, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York (cat.)
“Abschied von den Eltern”, curated by Henrik Olesen, Christopher Müller and Daniel Buchholz,
Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Art Cologne – Open Space, Cologne
“LTTR 22nd Street Block Explosion”, Printed Matter, Inc., New York
2004
“The Time at the End of This Writing”, with Paolo Javier, The Poetry Project at St. Marks Church,
New York
Illustration for "TOUS LES CHEVAUX DU ROI 5," Reena Spaulings Fine Art, New York
2002
“Sunday New Genre”, The Web, New York (interdisciplinary events)
Reviews
2009
“Project X”, Art Asia Pacific, no. 66, November/December 2009
“Ei Arakawa & others”, Daniel Baumann, spike ART QUARTERLY, no. 21, 2009
“TOP 100 EMERGING ARTISTS”, Flash Art, October, 2009
“Ei Arakawa & Sam Lewitt”, Katie Kitamura, Frieze, no. 125, September 2009
"SWITCH (Summer 2009)," Caroline Busta, published by The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada
"Ei Arakawa," Studio Voice, Tokyo, vol. 403, July 2009
“Collectors pleased with Art 40 Basel fair”, Andrew Maerkle, The Japan Times Online, June 19,
2009
“Confiscating”, Kirsty Bell, Mousse, no. 19, June/July 2009
“Frantic: the performative instability of Ei Arakawa”, Anthony Huberman, Mousse, no. 19,
June/July 2009
“CRISIS MANUALS”, Adam Kleinman, Texte zur Kunst, no. 73, March 2009
“Toward a Standard Risk Architecture Video”, with Nick Stillman, Bomb magazine, 2009
"New York Artists Dictionary," Flash Art, March/April 2009
“Ei Arakawa: A Non-Administrative Performance Mystery”, Josef Strau, Parkett, no. 84, Spring
2009
"Entspannt IN DEN KONJUNKTUREN DER SYMPATHIE”, Jutta Koether, Spex, no. 318, January
2009
2008
“On The Ground - New York”, Caroline Busta, Artforum, December 2008
"Ei Arakawa," Chu Tingyi, Artco Monthly, October 9, 2008
"Ei Arakawa," Emiko Kato, Studio Voice, Tokyo, vol. 395, November 2008
“Yokohama Triennale curators puzzle locals”, Andrew Maerkle, Japan Times Online, September
18
“Grand Openings in Vienna”, Josef Strau, Top Ten, Artforum, September 2008
“Anthony Huberman interviewed by Nicola Trezzi," Flash Art, 2008
“Ei Arakawa Henning Bohl Nora Schultz”, Art e Critica, vol. 15, no. 55, August 2008
"Bildstrecke," Texte zur Kunst, no. 70, June 2008
“Production Anxiety”, Gary Carrion-Murayari, Domus, June 2008
"Ones to Watch," Tyler Coburn, Art Review, no. 20, March 2008
"Ei Arakawa," Reiko Tomii, Art on Paper, vol.12, no. 4, April 2008
“Actor’s Studio”, Caroline Busta, Artforum, February 2008
2007
"Degree Critical," artcriticism.com, Christine Licata, NY
"SPOTLIGHT: Performance a Trento," Patricia Buffa, Flash Art, December/January 2008
"VIEW," Marcel Junco, UOVO/15 Achromatic - Interviews, Conversations, Collaborations, Torino,
Italy
"Ei Arakawa," Nicola Trezzi, Flash Art online, 2007
"Introducing”, Benjamin Carlson, Modern Painters, December/January 2008
“Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York”, Robert C. Morgan, Brooklyn Rail,
November 2007
“Willingly or Unwillingly, Calling New York Their Home”, Karen Rosenberg, New York Times,
November 7, 2007
“Art Is Brief. You Just Have to Be There”, Holland Cotter, New York Times, November 9, 2007
“Please Note: This is Not a Traditional Ikebana Workshop”, Rachel Lois Clapham, Live Art UK
Initiative, 2007
“Hula Hoops, Marathon Piano, Revisited Happenings: Artists, Start Your Concepts”, Holland
Cotter, New York Times, November 2, 2007
“Underdogs and Also-rans”, Domenick Ammirati, Modern Painters, July/August 2007
“Gallery Walks London”, Emily Speers Mears, Texte zur Kunst, no. 66, June 2007
“Various Small Fires”, Martin Herbert, Time Out London, April 4-10, 2007
"Ei Arakawa," Adrian Lee, Artvehicle, London, no. 13, 2007
2006
“Alternative Recommend”, Quest, Tokyo, no. 32, November 2006
Webcast of "Eurovision 2006 as Reconstruction Mood,” TRANSMISSIONS, SHOWstudio,
London, 2006
Webcast of “Grand Openings,” TRANSMISSIONS, SHOWstudio, London, 2006
“On The Verge Of The Audience”, Emily Spears Meers, Texte zur Kunst, September 2006
“An Art Brand”, Nick Stillman, Flash Art, May/June, 2006
“Whitney Independent Study Program”, Holland Cotter, New York Times, May 12, 2006
"Report from New York - Down East", Stephen Maine, Art in America, May 2006
“The Dimes of March,” Nick Stillman, Artforum, 2006
“The Collective Conscious”, Holland Cotter, The New York Times, March 5, 2006
"Cabaret License”, Chrissie Iles, Artforum, January 2006
2005
“The best and worst of 2005”, Andrea K. Scott, Time Out New York, January 4, 2005
“Visions From Nigeria and India and a Van Searching for Utopia”, Holland Cotter, New York
Times, December 25, 2005
"Best of 2005," John Kelsey, Artforum, December 2005
"The Artists’ Artists," Nick Mauss, Artforum, December 2005
"On the Ground/New York," David Rimanelli, Artforum, December 2005
“1960s Japan: Art Outside the Box”, Review of Japanese Culture and Society, Tokyo, December
2005)
“Ei Arakawa’s Six Degrees of Subtlety,” Cay Sophie Rabinowitz, Art Papers, September/October
2005
"Ei Arakawa," Manami Fujimori, Bijyutsu Techo, Tokyo, September 2005
2004
“Succeeding Where the Hippies Failed – Review”, Lynne Chan, School of the Arts at Columbia
University, New York
“Genzai-Tsushin from New York”, Reiko Tomii, Shin-Bijutsu Shimbun, October 2004
“Sobyo”, Reiko Tomii, Shinano Shimbun, Nagano, October 2004
“The very idea”, Jane Harris, Time Out New York, August 5-12, 2004
“Ich Will Eine Stadtkünstlerin Seinm," Jutta Koether, Texte zur Kunst, June 2004
“Genzai-Tsushin from New York”, Reiko Tomii, Shin-Bijutsu Shimbun, May 2004
Lectures/Presentations
2010
Lecture, School of Visual Art MFA, New York
2008
Presentation, The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada
Lecture/performance, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
2007
“Our Land Is Our Land”, screening organized by Ronnie Bass, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle
2005
Screening at "Japanese Art Since 1945: The First PoNJA-GenKon Symposium," Council on East
Asian Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT