Installation view of the exhibition "記憶の遠近法 | Perspective of memory"
Sat. 23 Jan. - Sun. 13 Mar. 2016
音まち千住の縁
(主催:東京都、アーツカウンシル東京(公益財団法人東京都歴史文化財団)、
東京藝術大学音楽学部、特定非営利活動法人音まち計画、足立区)
Photo: Keizo Kioku
Intervening with the Depths of the Ominous
The artist Gaetan Kubo has been using ideas of the invisible as the starting point of his creative process, such as the madness that lurks in the ordinary, or the ideologies and phenomenon of what would be considered occultism. Kubo states, “I believe that ideas of the supernatural, UFOs, and ‘occultism’ are packed with the essence of the human imagination.”
In the past, Kubo has created an installation of a small spinning room titled “Smoothie” (2013) based on the idea of a poltergeist. For his solo show “Perspective of Memory” on view until March 13th at Tako Terrace (Senju, Tokyo), he will exhibit new work, based on his research on the “Ghost Chimneys,” which had allured many film makers, writers, and manga artists in the past. These four chimneys were a part of the Senju Thermal Power Station in the Adachi ward. Depending on the angle it is seen from, it can look to be 1 or 2 or 3 chimneys, giving it its name, “Ghost Chimneys.” While researching on the area for an open call competition for “Senju En Residence,” Kubo discovered the history, and fate, of the thermal power station-- how it was demolished in 1964, and the remnants were turned into play structures and monuments. It all began with battleships. “In the Meiji era, Japan bought a battleship from America. The steels from this ship then were used for the power plant and chimneys. Moreover, this battleship was built in Bordeaux, France, where my mother has roots.” Kubo reveals. In the solo exhibition, various elements will be put together in the space, from sculptures made from pieces of the chimneys, to a maquette, to interview footage, to photographs. This retrospective of the area shows us the ways in which these materials are reincarnated over time, and even unveils Kubo’ s personal history.
“The Great East Japan Earthquake was a watershed for me, and I began to realize the distortions and madness behind everyday life and power plants, that I had accepted until then. At the same time, I became more conscious of expressing the invisible. To see the invisible, and to expose the hidden is an important drive behind my work.”

From BT Mar. 2016 "ART NAVI"
記憶の遠近法(陶葬による)| Perspective of Memory (Toso)
2016
お化け煙突のモニュメントの一部を釉薬とした陶器
Glazed pottery with part of the Obake-Entotsu (Ghost chimney) monument