Temperature and the Moving Heart – Artworks by Shigeru Moroizumi
By Fang Zhenning, Art Producer
２０１０ Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, MOCA studio
For the exhibition by Shigeru Moroizumi
To open a solo exhibition in Taipei, not only is it thrilling for Shigeru Moroizumi, his friends are also very happy for him, because this means his works have gained recognition in a new territory. As contemporary art emerges, a new dilemma also surfaces, and the challenge is in the relationship between art and the media used. Shigeru Moroizumi has been working with thermometers in his artwork for over two decades. In this prolonged period, he has over and over again tried to purify the important elements within. To use industrial products or some may say products that lack warmth to create art, may be difficult in its effects to move people. This is because people already feel a distance from these artificial materials. People are used to materials that they have been intimate with for a long time; therefore, the media used in contemporary art have always been a well talked about issue.
A thermometer is an apparatus used to measure temperatures; in other word, it is valued for its sensitivity towards warmth. There are two types of thermometers; one is used to measure the temperature of the environment, and the other is to measure a person’s body temperature. Shigeru Moroizumi uses the first one in this work. Temperature in the air and body temperature are different from each
other. Under normal circumstances, a person’s body temperature should remains constant, unless he/she gets sick. However, the temperature in the
environment is greatly influenced by the atmosphere. If the sun changes, the temperature will change accordingly.
Shigeru Moroizumi ‘s artworks are not a game between the temperature of the environment and the body. His intention is to bring awareness to people for the rhythm brought about by the apparatus used for measuring temperatures, and to transform it into heart moving art. An artist that uses thermometers to create is unheard of before to us, and this makes his art installations unique. The name of Shigeru Moroizumi became know in the Chinese art world in the fall of 2007, when he presented the “℃ 10000 – Sketches of the Temperatures of 10000 Thermometers” at the art space, Fangart, and received great acclaims for the exhibition. His third exhibition was on the eve of Christmas in 2008, I was the curator for that particular exhibition , “Fluttering Heart – A Solo Exhibition of Shigeru Moroizumi”, at Beijing’s most happening art venue,798.
ⒸSHIGERU MOROIZUMI