Biography
Maya Masuda (b. Tokyo, JP, she/her), is a Berlin/Tokyo/London-based, queer interdisciplinary artist. Maya brings her unique speculative post-human realism to life through storytelling via film, performance, writing and time-based installation. Throughout her work, she elaborately re-examines current environmental concerns such as the emergence of geotrauma or nuclear energy, from the borderlands where technology and animal, human and material converge. As an artist who has a background in machine engineering, Maya proposes affective, sensual, spatiotemporal narrative which reimagines ‘otherness’ as a perfect totality set within the abjected state, which interweaves non-human, marginalised and symbolic. Developing a kinship with the imperfect and political nature of technology, her work reveals and interrogates constructed images of idealised futurity while suggesting an alternative methodology that negates anthropocentrism.
After Obtaining her BA from Tama Art University(JP) and MA from Royal College of Art (UK), she currently researches post-nuclear culture in relation to new media at Universität der Künste Berlin (DE) under prof. Nina Fischer.
Her practice encompasses a wide range of fields such as curation, publishing and activism. She is appointed as a curator of Kyoto Art Centre CO-program 2023, writes critiques on Tokyo Art Beat, also works as the co-founder of the feminist-queer journal i+med(i/e)a. She was recently shortlisted for Bloomberg New Contemporaries(2022, UK), Sustainability First Art Prize (2021, UK). Her recent exhibitions include 손과 속삭임, Hands and Whispers(2023, Seoul), Interassemblages - Nodal Relay(2022, Berlin),“ESC” - YYYYMMDD + VVOVVA (2022, online/Vienna), Trans×Formation(2022, AnBTokyo), Aichi Triennale U27 program Exhibition (2019, Art Lab Aichi) etc.
Education
- 2023
- ~~ Universität der Künste Berlin
- 2023
- MA Royal College of Art, Sculpture
- 2021
- BA Tama Art University, Art and Media Course
- 2019
- BA Keio University,Information and Environmetal Studies
Exhibitions
- 2024
- Jan. Group Exhibition,"SOFT AND HARD - Beyond Recognition and Queer Coding", Art House Wakefield, UK
- 2023
- Dec. Group Exhibition,"Bodies/ Multiplicitous", Kuma Gallery, Roppongi, Tokyo, JP
- ──
- Nov. Group Exhibition,"Ground Zero", Kyoto Art Centre, Kyoto , JP
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- Aug. Group Exhibition,"Constructing Utopia", Gallery XY Olomouc, CZ
- ──
- Jul. Degree show,"RCA 2023 Degree show", Truman Brewery, London, UK
- ──
- May. Group Exhibition,"Subterranian Organ", The Crypt Gallery, London, UK
- ──
- Apr. Group Exhibition,"Brink", Royal College of Art Hunger Gallery, London, UK
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- Mar. Group Exhibition,"Hung, Drawn and Quartered", Standpoint Gallery, London, UK
- ──
- Feb. Group Exhibition,"One Night Stand", Camden Arc, London, UK
- ──
- Feb. Collective solo Exhibition,"손과 속삭임, Hands and Whispers", Yellow Pen Club, Seoul, KR
- ──
- Feb. Group Exhibition,"Matters of Lives 生を読む", Kuma Gallery, Tokyo, JP
- 2022
- Dec. Group Exhibition,"Interassemblages - Nodal Relay", ACUD Galerie, Berlin, DE
- ──
- Oct. Group Exhibition,"The Third Floor", Royal College of Art Dyson Building, London, UK
- ──
- Apr. Group Exhibition, “ESC” - YYYYMMDD + VVOVVA (online/Vienna), AT
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- Apr. Group Exhibition "A Vail", Museum of Model art, Scotland, UK
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- Apr. Group Exhibition "Trans×Formation" Kuma Foudation Exhibition, ANB Tokyo, JP
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- Feb. Group Exhibition "We Won't stop showing", Set Woolwich, London, UK
- ──
- Jan. Royal College of Art WIP show, Online
- 2021
- Nov. Group Exhibition "Naturisms", 399 Hornsey Road, London, UK
- ──
- Apr. Group Exhibition "Sweep - Space - Surface", BankART Station, Yokohama, JP
- 2020
- Mar. Tokyo Midtown×Ars Electronica "SCHOOL FESTIVAL OF THE FUTURE" Exhibition, Tokyo Midtown Design Hub, Tokyo, JP
- ──
- Feb. Group Exhibition "#404 Near Nowhere Newtopia" ,Gallery LE'DECO, JP
- ──
- 2019
- Nov. Group Exhibition "Ball Pool", Tama University of the Arts, JP
- ──
- Sep. Aich Triennale あいちトリエンナーレ U27 Program Exhibition ,Art Lab Aichi, JP
- ──
- May. Solo Exhibition "Room", award granted by 100Banch, JP
- 2018
- Sep. Solo Exhibition "A Tree without a Forest", Tokyo, JP
- ──
- Feb. Acousticlub vol.3 Performance "a Blue Sheep", Suginami City Hall, Tokyo,JP
- 2017
- Sep. Group Exhibition "心に触れる装置展 - Touching machines", Keio University, Kanagawa, JP
Curation
- 2023
- Nov. Curator and Director of CO-Program 2023 at Kyoto Art Centre (JP) "Ground Zero", Kyoto(JP)
- ──
- Mar. Curatorial Advisory at Exhibition at The Crypt Gallery (UK) "Subterranian Organ", London(UK)
- ──
- Feb. Curatorial Advisory at Exhibition at Kuma Gallery, "Matters of Lives 生を読む", Tokyo(JP)
- 2022
- Dec. Curator at Exhibition at ACUD Galerie Berlin "Interassemblages - Nodal Relay", Berlin(DE)
- 2021
- Mar. Curator and Director at Exhibition at BankArt(JP) “Sweep-Space-Surface”, Yokohama (JP)
Publication
- 2022
- Dec. Critique on “In the Air (welcome collection, London)” regarding Environmental Racism, Tokyo Art Beat
- ──
- Mar. Critique on "Welcome, Stranger, to this Place" published by Tokyo University of the Arts
MA Cutating Course,2022
Archive webiste / Exhibition website - 2021
- Sep. i+med(i/e)a magazine issue vol.1, “Beyond Female Gaze”
- ──
- Apr. Bijyutsu Techo 美術手帖, critique written by Arata Hasegawa on her curated exhibition `Sweep - Space - Surface'
Fluctuating between 'Artists' and 'Students', Possibilities of Degree shows - ──
- Mar. Directed Exhibition at BankArt(JP)
“Sweep-Space-Surface”
Awards/Talks/Residencies
- 2023
- Panel Talk on Utopia at XY Gallery Olomouc, Czech Republic(CZ)
- ──
- Selected Residencies, Standpoint Gallery, London(UK)
- ──
- Grant Awarded, Sasakawa Foundation (UK/JP)
- ──
- Grant Awarded, Ezoe Memorial Recruit Foundation Scholarship(JP)
- ──
- Grant Awarded, Kuma Foundation(JP)
- 2022
- Panel Talk on Diaspora/Otherness/Identities with Ezoe Memorial Reqruit Foundation, Online(UK/JP/DE)
- ──
- Grant Awarded, Ezoe Memorial Recruit Foundation Scholarship(JP)
- ──
- Grant Awarded, Kuma Foundation(JP)
- ──
- Shortlisted, Bloomberg New Contemporaries(UK)
- 2021
- 3rd Prize, Sustainbility First Art Award (UK)
- ──
- Shortlisted, Alpine Fellowship Visual Art Award (US)
- ──
- Grant Awarded, Kuma Foundation Scholarship (UK)
- ──
- Grant Awarded, Ezoe Memorial Recruit Foundation Scholarship (UK)
- 2020
- Guest Speaker, Pre-talk SICF21 (JP)
- 2019
- Nominated, CGC Contest (JP)
- 2017
- Special Jury Award, Art&Techinology Tohoku(JP)