Site-specific drawing on wall
2021
Courtesy of the artist, Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg and Buchmann Galerie
This work consists of countless numbers arranged in a random order, with one notable absence: the number zero is left as blank. Each number represents a countdown from 9 to 1, just like the LED numbers used in other works. The blank spaces indicate where the count reaches zero.
The work captures a frozen moment in time where countless numbers are each individually counting down. These innumerable numbers represent Seimei (生命/life).
Each number is a snapshot of an individual Seimei—its expression at this very moment, including the blanks. So, these countless numbers can be seen as a collective of countless Seimei.
Furthermore, these works don’t have to be drawn by Miyajima himself. Others can create them as well. That, in turn, offers a different perspective on the collective of Seimei.