YUKIKOMIZUTANI is pleased to present “Layers of Time ‒ Into the Memories” a solo exhibition by Motoi Yamamoto,from April 5 (Sat) to May 10 (Sat), 2025. This will be his second solo exhibition at the gallery, exploring the accumulationof time and the visualization of memories embedded within it.

Yamamoto has long been creating salt-based installations. In Japan, salt has traditionally been considered sacred, used in various rituals for purification and cleansing. Drawn to the mystical nature of saltʼs intricate white hues seen through transparent cubes, Yamamoto personifies it as a gentle presence that accepts human death with compassion.
The intricate floor patterns he painstakingly creates alone over long hours resemble the mandala rituals found in spiritual traditions that use sand painting as a meditative practice. However, his works contain deeply personal prayers and his unique response to questions of life and death, shaped by his own past experiences. The spiral patterns in his work represent the unending continuation of these thoughts, symbolizing rebirth, regeneration, and eternity.
A defining characteristic of his work is its impermanence—his installations are always dismantled and returned to thesea on the final day of the exhibition. This act, known as the “Return to the Sea Project,” has involved thousands ofparticipants over the years, offering visitors an opportunity to actively engage in the installation and contemplate theephemeral cycle of life.

This exhibition will feature Yamamotoʼs signature salt installations, as well as gold-leaf paintings that use gold—a material symbolizing eternity across cultures—to express the accumulation of time. Additionally, his resin-encased plant series, which he has been creating since the mid-1990s, will highlight layers of memory.

Time itself is invisible, yet it accumulates, leaving behind traces.
Within the serene space of layered time and floating fragments of memory, viewers will find themselves travelingbetween past and present, embarking on a journey through recollection.

※Notice of Golden Week Closure
Please note that the gallery will be closed for Golden Week from Tuesday 29th April, Friday, May 3rd to Tuesday, May 6th due to national holidays. We kindly ask for your understanding.

※The “Return to the Sea Project” featured in this exhibition is scheduled to take place on the final day of the exhibition, Saturday, May 10. If you wish to participate, please apply using the registration form below. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and registration will close once capacity is reached.

Please note that even if you do not participate in the project, you are welcome to visit the exhibition venue at any time on Saturday, May 10.

Motoi Yamamoto
Born in 1966 in Onomichi, Hiroshima, Japan.
Graduated in 1995 from Kanazawa College of Art, majoring in painting.

Yamamoto has exhibited extensively both in Japan and internationally, including at:
MoMA P.S.1 (New York), The State Hermitage Museum, Bellevue Arts Museum,Seoul Museum of Art, Monterey Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, The Hakone Open-Air Museum, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Pola Museum, Kanazawa, Setouchi Triennale, etc.

In recent years, he has been based in Kanazawa, actively expanding his practice,
including collaborations with companies.