Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2011

A half-Japanese, half-Russian artist raised by swordsmith-turned-Buddhist priests at a temple in Okayama, Miya Ando presents an artistic response to the March disaster. Acclaimed for her three-story 9/11 memorial made from a part of the World Trade Center, Ando’s new works meditate on the power of nature, and the fragility and beauty of human life. She works from the four elements and her swordsmith background to fashion metallic installations, scrolls and sculptures in two separate exhibitions.

Galerie Sho, until Nov 26 (listing); Seibu Shibuya, until Nov 27 (listing).