Tatsuo Miyajima's Futuristic Installation Art Is Coming to Australia for the First Time

It’s only January, but already 2016 is shaping up to be a really good year for art in Australia. Melbourne's NGV is currently showing the epic Andy Warhol | Ai Wei Wei exhibition and a collection of Australian surrealist works with Lurid Beauty, with a tight line-up of Degas, surrealist works and Whistler’s Mother coming to the gallery later this year (not the original of course, we all know Mr Bean has that). Sydney is currently being graced by The Greats, Grayson Perry and will soon get to enjoy a more contemporary exhibition by Tatsuo Miyajima.

Known for his immersive and dramatic tech-inspired pieces, the Japanese installation artist will be bringing his work to the Museum of Contemporary Art this November as part of the 2016-17 Sydney International Art Series (pencil it in, guys). It's his first solo exhibition in Australia, and it will include all of his significant pieces as well as some video and performance works.

While Miyajima's work may appear slick and futuristic, his philosophy incorporates some really profound ideas about life and death. As he summarises it: "Keep changing, connect with everything, continue forever". His installations largely feature LED lights and counters that countdown from one to nine. However, they never reach zero as Miyajima believes zero is a meaningless, Western concept. As he told Frieze back in 1992, there is no physical zero.

Buddhist philosophy is also a major influence on his art, as well as his ideas about zero and nothingness. "In Buddhist philosophy we have the word ku, which means emptiness — which is very different from zero," he says. "The word ku is realistic emptiness, physical emptiness…ku contains the cycle of life and death."

His work is best consumed as a spiritual experience, and we've got plenty of time to prepare for it.

The MCA's 2016-2017 International Art Series featuring Tatsuo Miyajima will run from November 3, 2016 – March 5, 2017. FOr more info, visit the MCA website.