For this year’s KG+, a satellite program of KYOTOGRAPHIE, SYNONYM curated, directed, and produced the debut solo exhibition of one of the selected artists, MUGA, which took place at MOGANA, Kyoto.

Titled The Colors of My Maze, the exhibition attempts to visualise the creative and thinking processes behind MUGA’s work series, Just A Thin Paper (2021), in which the artist intends to tell a story of falsehood in photography. The exhibition reimagines and presents the series in a spinning, maze-like installation. It welcomes viewers to take part in this playful yet ironically open and transparent maze, delving into the artist’s subconscious, where they would encounter works of joy and obstacles along the way before reaching the destination.

A selection of MUGA’s works from the series of MOSAIC (2020), The Window (2019), as well as Just A Thin Paper (2021), was presented at MOGANA WHITE during the opening and closing period of KG+ 2021.

On the 18th of September and the 10th of October, SYNONYM conceived two themed welcome events, Suigetsu Kyōka and Akikaze to Akishigure respectively, at MOGANA BAR — a celebration of the autumn new moon. The two events showcased photographs from MUGA and botanical works created by Yuka Fukushima, a long-term collaborator of SYNONYM, from Petrichor, paired with five mocktails dreamt up by Shingo Kawai from BAR chord (Nagoya). The collaboration aims to highlight the ephemeral and subtle beauty of Japanese aesthetics, paying homage to the inception concept of MOGANA.

MUGA is a visual artist with a primary focus on photography as a creative medium. Now based in Aichi, he was once a professional snowboarder. After retiring as an athlete, MUGA began venturing into the field of vintage fashion, while studying fine-art photography, and aspiring to become an artist. With previous experience exhibiting in group shows in Japan and overseas, The Colors of My Maze marks his debut solo show.

The exhibition and its accompanying events are generously hosted and supported by MOGANA, a hotel designed by the renowned Japanese architect Takashi Yamaguchi. Derived from an ancient Japanese expression meaning “what if,” MOGANA reinterprets the traditional Kyoto architectural typology known as "unagi no nedoko". The space brings together the spatial sensibility of a classic kyo-machiya with a refined contemporary aesthetic, subtly interwoven with elements of modern art and craft.

The Colors of My Maze

Assets

Exhibition

MOGANA WHITE

MOGANA BAR

18 Sep 2021: Suigetsu Kyōka 水月鏡花

10 Oct 2021: Akikaze to Akishigure 秋風と秋時雨

Credits