Six years have passed since I moved from Shinagawa to Nakanojo. The rental house I live in is located along the river. I learned there is a river called the Sanzu River on Mt. Akagi, which I used as an idea for creating work, and made work which exhibited in Maebashi and Texas. 

I was interested in the flowing furnishings and space of “Mariya” and applied it as an exhibition venue for my sixth time participating in the Nakanojo Biennale. 

While I was spending time in the space that used to be a souvenir shop to visualize my exhibition, I found the height-growth records for kids on the pillar in the living space. One of them says “Maria 090101.” During the search for the person who chiseled these records, I happened to meet the person who grew up in this space. He said during his childhood, “there was always the sound of the river.” 

The encounters with rivers can be said to be inevitable. I would appreciate it if you could feel a glimpse of the encounters between water and people, and memories.

Aerial Shooting: Kenichi Okayasu