Ma Jiahao, a 22-year-old contemporary artist, questions the socialist system. He was raised on anti-Japanese education until the age of 18, and his discomfort with his homeland and his doubts about the nature of nation-states prompted him to move to Japan.

The "PM2.5" in the title is an abbreviation for "Particulate Matter," a general term for complex societal problems such as pollution from factories and exhaust fumes.

For this exhibition, the gallery space has been recreated with "smoke" through a collaborative effort with perfumer AI KIKAKU. Amidst a collection of new ready-made and mixed-media works, the smoke obstructs viewing, while the scent accentuates the concept. This novel presentation makes it a noteworthy event.

Photoed by Keizo Kioku

The components include playful elements like toys and paper airplanes. When these are repeatedly presented in large numbers, they evoke a sense of fear and danger.

Regarding this solo exhibition, Ma Jiahao stated, "I believe what I want to express are the problems and contradictions that exist beneath this enormous population, and the state of war that arises from them. I also want to find the extraordinary within the everyday scenes composed of these mass numbers."

Furthermore, on November 2 (Friday), a talk show will be held featuring contemporary artist and performer Emi Shimizu and Ma Jiahao, delving into the essence of contemporary Chinese art. It will be intriguing to hear what these two, both deeply knowledgeable about Chinese art, will discuss.

Ma Jiahao
Born 1996
Moved to Japan 2015
Enrolled in Department of Oil Painting, Tama Art University 2016
Selected for the 4th CAF Award 2017
Currently studying in Department of Oil Painting, Tama Art University 2018

Emi Shimizu
Primarily engages in performance art and drawing.
Her long experience living in different cultures has led her to an interest in difference, boundaries, East Asian cultural anthropology, and aesthetics. After a year and a half stay in Miyakojima in 1999, she studied abroad in China in 2001. She pursued Nihonga at Kyoto University of Art and Design, studied landscape painting at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, and completed postgraduate studies in Folk Art and Photography at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. She has exhibited her work primarily in China, including at the Beijing Minsheng Art Museum, as well as in Mongolia, South Korea, and Thailand. She has conducted body workshops at the Goethe-Institut Beijing and the Shantou University College of Arts. After 15 years in China, she returned to Japan in 2016. In 2016, influenced by her grandmother, a poet, she became interested in the origins of creativity and researched process work to understand different forms of bodily expression. She has also been active in introducing contemporary Chinese art through lectures such as "Interpretation of Freedom_Chinese Art of the 20th-21st Century" (2017-2018 / Your Intersection), screenings of the documentary film "China Performance" (directed by Wen Pulin), and interviews with Qiu Zhijie (Bijutsu Techo). Exhibitions include "The Power of the People" (2016 / Minsheng Art Museum, Beijing, China), "AQUA2017" (Rome), group exhibitions (2016 / Sanyuan Contemporary Art Museum, Tianjin), "Asian Panic!" (2012 / Gwangju Museum of Art, South Korea), Land Art Mongolia 360 Biennale (2018, 2012 / Mongolia), UP-ON International Performance Art Festival (2017, 2012 / Chengdu, China), and Chongqing Yangtze River International Image Biennale (2015 / Chongqing, China). She served as Deputy Director for the International Performance Art Festival and Meeting 2018.

Ma Jiahao Solo Exhibition "Smog PM2.5"
Dates | Friday, November 2, 2018 - Friday, November 16, 2018
Venue | TAV GALLERY
1-31-2 Asagaya-kita, Suginami-ku, Tokyo
Hours | 13:00 - 20:00
Closed | Wednesdays, Thursdays

Reception Party
Date | Friday, November 2
Time | 18:00 - 20:00
Talk Event
Date | Friday, November 2
Time | 19:00 onwards
Admission Fee | ¥500