At Whitestone Ginza New Gallery, the exhibition “Dimensions III—in/sight” is holding works by emerging contemporary artists. This space, where the unique talents of multiple artists intersect, creates a platform where individuality and expression come together to generate new insights.

For this exhibition, we conducted interviews with the six participating artists in order to reveal their inner worlds. We asked them the same set of questions to find out how they developed their artistic expressions, and unravel the relationship between art and modern society as depicted in their artworks.

Earth's Shadow Memories: Reflections of Gradation

Mutsumi Hagiwara《たそかれの空》2024, glass

1. What is the theme of your latest exhibition?

Hagiwara: The theme of this exhibition, continuing from my last solo show, is "Earth's Colors." I aim to encapsulate the memories of Earth's sceneries—such as sunrises, sunsets, tranquil seas, and sunlight glistening through the rain—into glass. I hope that each viewer can find their own interpretation of "Earth's Colors" within my works.

2. Can you tell us about the featured work, Tasokare no Sora (Twilight Sky)?

Hagiwara: Tasokare no Sora is based on my memory of the gradient hues in the sky over Kagawa Prefecture. It reflects the transition from sunset to night, capturing the fleeting beauty of a sky that transforms moment by moment. My intention was to preserve this transient beauty as a "memory" within the glass.

Mutsumi Hagiwara《天気雨》2024, glass

3. Was there a pivotal moment or influence that sparked your creative journey?

Hagiwara: The starting point for my work was an encounter with a natural phenomenon called "Earth's Shadow." A few years ago, while photographing a sunset with a film camera, I turned around and was struck by the breathtaking colors spreading across the sky. Earth's Shadow appears in the eastern sky as the sun sets in the west, with a deep navy shadow below and a pink "Belt of Venus" above it.

I realized that I had been so focused on the sunset that I had overlooked this phenomenon. This experience made me want to capture and preserve the fleeting beauty of everyday moments that often go unnoticed, transforming them into tangible forms that can be touched and revisited.

4. What keeps you motivated, and what are your strengths as an artist?

Hagiwara: My motivation stems from encountering Earth's breathtaking sceneries. These moments make me feel as though I was born to witness and translate them into my art. The ever-changing colors and gradients of Earth's seasons provide endless inspiration.

As an artist, my strengths lie in my sensitivity to the beauty within landscapes and my dedication to exploring the potential of glass as a medium, paying close attention to every detail of my work.

Whitestone Ginza New Gallery

5. How did you develop your current style, and what drives your choice of medium?

Hagiwara: Glass is a material that constantly reveals new aspects and surprises me every time I work with it. Its amorphous structure allows light to pass through while also reflecting and refracting it, creating a range of expressions. This quality aligns with my goal of capturing fleeting moments of light and scenery as though preserving a memory.

6. Are there artists or works that have influenced you?

Hagiwara: I’ve been deeply influenced by Claude Debussy’s music, which feels rich with color and evokes shifting light and shadows. Claude Monet has also had a significant impact on me; his sensitivity to changes in light and color resonates with the themes of transience and impermanence that I aim to express in glass.

Mutsumi Hagiwara《かわたれの海》2024, φ25.0, glass

7. Group exhibitions often foster unique dynamics. What are your expectations for Dimensions III?

Hagiwara: Group exhibitions allow me to experience perspectives and sensibilities that I couldn’t generate on my own. I’m excited to see how my glass works interact with pieces in different materials and themes. I hope this shared space will create new discoveries and imaginations for viewers as the diverse works resonate with one another.

8. What would you like viewers to take away from your work?

Hagiwara: I hope viewers will enjoy the colors and the subtle variations in expression. My works in this exhibition include hazy, frosted glass pieces like Tasokare no Sora and Kawatare no Umi (Dusky Sea), transparent glass in Tenkiame (Sunshowers), and solid glass in Setouchi no Kioku (Memories of Seto Inland Sea). Though all made of glass, each has a distinct atmosphere.

I encourage viewers to observe how the works change under different angles and lighting, and to feel the colors of the Earth within these shifts.

9. What are your aspirations for the future?

Hagiwara: I wish to continue exploring the beauty of Earth’s landscapes and the fleeting nature of time and memory through glass. I want to visit various places with my film camera, live in those locations, and encounter yet unseen sceneries that I can transform into artworks.

One of my goals is to create immersive spaces where viewers feel as if they’ve stepped into their own memories or stories. I also aim to expand my activities abroad, drawing inspiration from diverse cultures and natural environments to present new perspectives in my works. Currently, I’m studying in Finland and hope to share the landscapes I encounter here through my future creations.

Mutsumi Hagiwara《瀬戸内の海》2024, glass

The memories encapsulated in Mutsumi Hagiwara’s glassworks are fleeting yet eternal, preserving the transient beauty of a moment for all to touch and cherish.

"Dimensions III—in/sight" is open until December 27, 2024. The exhibition can also be viewed anytime online via the Whitestone Gallery Online Store.

Exhibition Information

Mishiho Fukuhama

After graduating from Joshibi College of Art and Design, majoring in Crafts, and receiving the "Shigeyuki Kato Memorial Prize," Mutsumi Hagiwara completed her master’s course at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2022. In the same year, Hagiwara received the “Arakawa Mayor’s Award” at the 70th Tokyo University of the Arts Graduation Works Exhibitions. Her experiences of connecting with nature and sensing the transitioning seasons since childhood have been extracted through the filter of memory and are brimmed with nuanced narrativity. In her glasswork productions, photographs and words are also inevitable components that complement the viewer's imagination, encouraging immersion in the universe of the work, much like polyphonic music. The gradation of colors, while maintaining inner clarity, embodies both the exquisite organic presence and the soft kinesis beyond the solidity of the glass material. The artist is currently enrolled in the doctoral course at Tokyo University of the Arts.