Kaori Nagata - Contemplative Meals

Food is a source of energy for the human body, while the act of eating serves as a means of socializing among people. We are all nourished at the beginning of our lives by the hands of others.

The images created by the artist focus on the ideas of how human existence has been, is, and could be connected with other beings on Earth.

On the surface, these undulating lines represent movement and human figures in contact with the elements of nature. Beneath this facade, they embody the concept of interconnectedness and interdependence – they are portraits of human existence, where the material meets the spiritual.

Some of these figures seem trapped in their realities, while others attempt to escape or remain oblivious to their surroundings.

Cooking, eating, feeding, serving, sharing meals, and the conversations surrounding these actions are the primary sources of inspiration for Nagata. She is interested in how the transience of human existence is expressed through our eating habits. For her, the processing of ingredients and the nourishment of the body are not merely mundane actions, but opportunities to understand and enhance our connection to the planet.

When we disregard the external, there are no real differences. We are all made from a single, fundamental substance.

Live Act: Bo-Sung Kim, born in South Korea and raised in Berlin, learned to play the Korean percussion instrument Changgo at the age of 12.

Her studies in Traditional Folk Theatrics eventually brought her back to Korea, where she learned at the Korean National University of Arts in Seoul from masters like Kim Duk Soo and Park Byung Chun.

For nearly 12 years now, she has been performing across Europe with both traditional repertoires and new interpretations of Korean rhythms and melodies, liberated from rigid traditional structures.