Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2010

“The Other Side of Illusion,” 2010, color photograph

Shinagawa’s charming Hara Museum presents the first solo exhibition in Japan by Korean installation artist Jae-Eun Choi. An assistant to ikebana master Hiroshi Teshigahara for three years in the ’80s, Choi draws inspiration from the spatial concepts of the Sogetsu school of flower arranging. For “Forests of Asoka,” she uses the ancient tale of a Buddhist Indian king as the starting point for a meditation on the relationship between humans, nature and time. New installations, videos and photography fill the museum’s homey galleries.

Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
Jae-Eun Choi. Forests of Aśoka. Photography. Sep 11-Dec 26, ¥500 (elem, MS)/¥700 (HS, univ)/¥1,000 (adult). 4-7-25 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku. Open Tue-Sun 11am-5pm (Wed until 8pm), closed Mon. Nearest stn: Shinagawa. www.haramuseum.or.jp