Midori Mitamura

My site-specific project "Art & Breakfast" is a combination of art installations and participatory events of breakfast with visitors whilst staying in an art space. Living in each town, I develop ideas, collect materials and fill up space with numerous improvised installations through fieldworks. The title that hints at B&B (Bed & Breakfast). Breakfast meetings are hosted for visitors in the exhibition space.

This art project has been taking place around the world since 2006.
Stockholm(SE), Tokyo(JP), Berlin(DE), Melbourne(AU), Vienna (AT), Belfast(UK), Nagoya(JP), Wiesbaden(DE), Folkestone(UK) , Gran Canaria(ES), Ibaraki(JP)

The ideas I come up with on journeys are transformed into diverse presentations to explore common understandings of human life beyond cultural differences and any border. Interpersonal communication with local people gives me important questions concerning the society, culture, history and various issues. Responding to those subjects, every day I create a series of improvised installations using materials such as furniture, toys, interior and junk I find around town. My critical point of view towards various issues such as daily life, societies, cultures, politics, and histories are reflected into installations. Each item is telling narratives together with my inspirational phrases and then they illustrate specific themes I developed while staying. The objects in the space will allow visitors to imagine a story for each item like picture book illustrations. The project always takes place breakfast meetings with visitors in the space.

Breakfast particularly reflects our culture and tradition. The aim of this event is to get people closer to art through intimate personal connections using breakfast as a catalyst. Meeting and getting to know people over breakfast is an intimate experience.

Expanding from previous projects, I launched "Art & Breakfast Day" in 2014. Each art studio and space all over the world individually held breakfast events on the same day. Artists and visitors share breakfast as well as art presentations and practices at various art scenes around the world beyond any borders. That brings fresh communication /connections that are not like usual art exhibitions, and prompt artists to do an experimental practice freely.

Artists and art scenes are free from any confrontation, discrimination, and conflicts. Art is a place in which people are able to be involved, not only looking at artworks. This exhibition framework makes for an intimate exchange, whereby atmosphere, open-ended possible narratives and a kind of everyday mise-en-scene are built and shared between artist and visitors.