Tokyo-based creative company NAKED, INC., and its founder Ryotaro Muramatsu have been honored to participate in the 2023 Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival, running from December 14, 2023, to January 21, 2024, in Sharjah, UAE. The festival, marking its 25th anniversary with artists from over 105 countries, showcases Muramatsu’s “DANDELION PROJECT”.
INTRODUCTION MOVIE OF DANDELION PROJECT
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5s0H3cGfv4)
An interactive artwork connecting prayers for peace
Selected for its timely theme of transcending differences and fostering global connection through prayers for peace, the “DANDELION PROJECT” involves planting dandelion-shaped installations globally. Participants blow on a DANDELION, and their prayers for peace travel virtually as a dandelion seed through the project’s network, blooming into digital art flowers at another location. This initiative has been implemented in 56 locations worldwide, including Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, San Francisco, and the G7 Hiroshima Summit. Presently on display in Sharjah and Taipei, DANDELION bridges the 2 cities in real-time through blooming flowers of peace.
Since founding NAKED, INC. in 1997, Muramatsu has led projects from filmmaking and spatial presentation to live performances of traditional Japanese arts. With a film production background, he directs projects beyond traditional boundaries, weaving technology, formative arts, sound, and scents into compelling narratives, attracting guests from all around the world. In 2018, Muramatsu began creating fine art as a solo artist, fusing multi-sensory elements into personal and conceptual themes. The “DANDELION PROJECT” launched in 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 affected world, aims to unite divided people through art.
A message from the artist
“DANDELION is an art piece that connects people worldwide with a simple physical act of making a wish on a dandelion—a childhood memory that many of us share. The seeds of flowers, impartial and wordless, simply fly to new places and bloom there. I hope we can go beyond our differences to connect with one another through art and plant flowers of peace throughout the world.”
— Ryotaro Muramatsu
RYOTARO MURAMATSU
Artist / Founder of NAKED, INC. / Visiting Professor at Osaka University of Arts / Branding Director of Achi Village, Nagano. Since founding NAKED, INC. in 1997, the Tokyo based artist has led projects in various fields such as film, spatial presentation, local revitalization, and traditional Japanese arts. The films he directed have received 48 nominations and awards at film festivals worldwide. He began creating works as a solo artist in 2018 and since has exhibited art both within Japan and overseas. In 2020, he launched an international art initiative “DANDELION PROJECT” that aims to unite people’s prayers for world peace by “planting” interconnected dandelion sculptures in locations around the world. At the G7 Hiroshima Summit in 2023, he produced and presented artworks at special events hosted by the Prime Minister and First Lady of Japan.
Website：https://ryotaro-muramatsu.com
Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/ryo_naked
Information on current DANDELION PROJECT exhibit
Event Name：Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival
Venue：House of Wisdom
Period：13 December 2023 to 21 January 2024
*Closed days are in accordance with the location of the event.
Hours：10:00～22:00
Website： https://sharjahevents.ae/en/event/sharjah-islamic-arts-festival-2/
Hosted by： Sharjah Department of Culture
Design, Direction, Production： NAKED, INC.
About NAKED, INC.
NAKED, INC. is a creative company founded by Ryotaro Muramatsu in 1997. Pursuing the philosophy of “Core Creative, Total Creation, and Borderless Creativity”, the company has presented works across various genres to uncover new values in various scenes of life spanning from art, entertainment, traditional culture, education, music, food, sports, and more. In recent years, NAKED has presented innovative experiences that integrate and enhance online and offline entertainment experiences. Since 2022, the company has been undertaking the “NAKED GARDEN ONE KYOTO” initiative that incorporates virtual platforms and technology with real-life venues to promote and enhance Kyoto’s cultural experiences. Other notable works include the Tokyo Station projection mapping showcase “TOKYO HIKARI VISION”; floral-themed experiential art production “NAKED FLOWERS” exhibited in World Heritage Site Nijo-jo Castle, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and more; AI music production system “HUMANOID DJ”; immersive art and gastronomy restaurant “TREE by NAKED yoyogi park”; “NAKED Sakura Garden at Shinjuku Gyoen 2023”; and the creative direction of the social dinner at the G7 Hiroshima Summit, and more.
NAKED, INC. ：https://naked.co.jp
Official Instagram ： https://www.instagram.com/naked_inc/
Official Facebook： https://www.facebook.com/NAKEDINC.official
Official Twitter ： https://twitter.com/naked_staff
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