Ecologies of Closeness (2025)
Maya Erin Masuda Solo Exhibition at
YCAM (Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media)
Video, photography copywright: Hayato Itakura
“Ecologies of closeness” is a solo exhibition by Maya
Erin Masuda that explores Queer(ed) Ecologies and
alternative forms of kinship amid a damaged planet.
Alongside Masuda’s spatial installation, the exhibition
unfolds over four months through a series of artist talks
and workshops. Drawing on Timothy Morton’s concept of “Dark
Ecology,” Masuda foregrounds the ambivalent entanglement
between ecological intimacy and toxicity, tracin the movements of specific chemicals as they circulat through and across bodies within ecological communities Her inquiry further reveals how broader structura bodies, such as nation-states and institutional authorities, permeate individual bodies, engaging with issues of nuclear biopolitics, reproductive rights, and the pervasive phenomenon of bodily inflammation.
Through this lens Masuda’s ongoing engagement with Queer Ecologies articulates a framework for thinking and living with
toxicity, resisting regressionist impulses that attempt to
negate such dualities “Ecologies of closeness” ultimately calls for an attunemen to voices that emerge from complicity, ambiguity, and partial forms of witnessing.
My warmest gratitude to the wonderful collaborators:)
Sound Design: Keisuke Tsuchiya / Graphic Design: Yuri Uenishi
/ Translation: Pamela Miki /Project Management: Hazuki Ohta
/ Exhibition System Design: Mitsuhito Ando*, Hayato Itakura, Keita Miyashita / Sound System Design: Mitsuhito Ando, Junji Nakaue /Lighting Design: Fumie Takahar / Video Engineering: Hayato Itakura, Mitsuru Tokisat/ Network Engineering: Keita Miyashita / Technical Management: Hazuki Oht / Venue Construction: Hayato Itakura, Hazuki Ohta, Mitsuo Tsuda
Technical Support: Yanobutai, Makoto Hirabayashi, Keita Miyashita, Mitsuhito Ando / Handout Design: Ayumi Takahara /
Exhibition Signage Design and Construction: Ayumi Takahara
/ Learning Program: Haruki Ohba, Daichi Yamaoka, Nanami Abe
/ Public Relations: Nanako Okuda, Nozomi Miik / Archive and Documentation: Tomoya Watanab / Photo Documentation: Hayato Itakura / Curation: Hazuki Ohta, Sayaka Mitom / Project Supervision: Mitsuru Tokisato, Daiya Aida
