Tatsuo Miyajima

For the latest exhibition in East Hampton, Lisson Gallery is pleased to present a selection of LED installations and works on paper by Tatsuo Miyajima. The five works on view exemplify the Japanese artist’s signature digital vocabulary.

The spiritually and technologically infused works of Tatsuo Miyajima reflect on the individual potential of human beings and invite introspection in each viewer that encounters them. Inspired by Buddhist teachings, the artist addresses his chosen themes of change, connection, eternity and death through the infinite possibilities of numerical combinations. The single digits, from 1 to 9, are at the heart of his practice, signifying a universal language that transcends boundaries and cultures. A central work in the East Hampton presentation is Innumerable Life/Buddha (2018). Made up of a glowing LED display, the work features thousands of numbers counting down to one at differing speeds, before beginning their loop once more. According to Miyajima: “These digits embody the human cycle and the eastern philosophy of change and renewal; each solitary, blinking diode signifying the individual body and soul. The counting sequence continues on, and yet ‘0’, implying death, is expressed solely by darkness. Through this allusion, the numbers—or ‘Life’— are destined to an everlasting cycle of regeneration. This idea is also reflected in the color of the work: the radiant red denotes the blood of life, love, fire, passion, strength and joy.”

The endless possibilities represented by Miyajima’s numerical system expand into his Innumerable Counts series. Three works embossed on gold and white paper feature random arrangements of numbers. Each digit represents a countdown in progress from 9 to 1, similar to the numbered LED lights across the room. Blank spaces take the place of zeros and each number represents the existence of life at different moments in time. The final work in the show is a study model that considers this structure of time and is part of the ongoing Counter Fragile series. C.F. Loop / Helix (2021), features Miyajima’s archetypal LED numbers on an irregularly-shaped circle.