COLLECTIONS

CHIKATO

Edition 1/10

^{Chikato, 2023, Single-channel video, color, sound, 37 min, Edition 1/10
All images courtesy of the artist.}

Chikato is a short video work entirely filmed in the Suwa region of Nagano Prefecture, produced by the contemporary art unit Ohkojima Maki (Ohkojima Maki + Tsuji Yosuke). The work is based on an artist residency and research project conducted in the Suwa area through the art commons Forest of Dialogue and Creation. Drawing inspiration from local beliefs and folklore passed down in the region, as well as the artists’ own experiences of hunting there, the work explores the ambivalent nature of universal life processes―birth, death, sexuality, food, killing, and burial―through the form of a newly created myth.

The cast includes contemporary dancers Ayami Ida and Ron Kawai; researcher Motoi Tanaka; artist KOM_I; and tattoo artist Taku Oshima, among others. The music for the film was composed and performed by Ken Ikeda and KOM_I.

About the Artists

Maki Ohkojima is an art unit based in Tokyo, consisting of Maki Ohkojima and Yosuke Tsuji. Their practice centers on the theme of “the distorted entanglement of life.” They have undertaken residencies in various locations including India, Poland, China, Mexico, and France. In 2017, they participated in the Tara Pacific project aboard the scientific research vessel Tara, led by the Tara Ocean Foundation. In 2024, they spent one year in Mexico through the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ overseas training program, culminating in a solo exhibition in Mexico City.

In recent years, in addition to exhibiting in museums and galleries, they have also worked extensively in stage and scenographic design. Major solo exhibitions include Where lies Your afterbirth? (2025, KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre), On the Navel of This Planet (2025, Sebastian Foundation, Mexico City), Chikato (2023, Chofu City Cultural Center Tazukuri), and Correspondence (2022, Chiba City Museum of Art | Tsukurikake Lab 09). Selected group exhibitions include Aichi Triennale 2025 (2025, Aichi Arts Center / Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum), Contours of the Continuous Land (2022, Sezon Museum of Modern Art), COVID-19 and Amabie (2022, Kadokawa Musashino Museum), Re:construction (2020, Nerima Art Museum), Cultivating Life (2019, Aomori Museum of Art), and the Setouchi Triennale – Awashima (2019).