Artist Mariko Mori’s New Crystal Sculpture in Venice Is a Call for Universal Peace

Legendary Japanese Contemporary artist Mariko Mori recently unveiled a dazzling crystal glass work housed in a striking pearlescent onion dome at Palazzo Corner della Ca’ Granda in Venice. For five decades, Mori has questioned the deeper meanings of modern human existence, at the intersection of life, death, reality and technology. Through her artistic practice, Mori has engaged in a profound exploration of human consciousness and its spirituality, often turning her work or exhibitions into a site or tool for futuristic rituals of regeneration.

Observer spoke with Mori as she was unveiling Peace Crystal as part of her work with her nonprofit, the Faou Foundation. Standing approximately 167.5 centimeters tall, the faceted sculpture standing on its narrowest point is scaled to the average human height and was conceived of following Mori’s intuition that the upright walking posture bestowed intelligence and spirituality upon humanity. Peace Crystal is complemented by a video of previous iterations of the work in Japan and Brazil, alongside a model and scroll offering insight into its genesis. Together, they are part of the inaugural exhibition”Janus” on view at Palazzo Diedo, the newly established art foundation that opened during the first week of the Venice Biennale under Berggruen Arts & Culture, set up by art collector and philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen. Another version of the sculpture is on view at SCAI, the Bath House in Tokyo, which creates an energetic connection between these two world poles of ancient history.

Peace Crystal is characterized by the mysterious sacrality of an ancient monument, but it also has an otherworldly quality, as if it has just landed in from another galaxy. What are the primary sources of inspiration for this visionary work? 

I have long been interested in the origins of human spirituality and paleoanthropology. When early hominids achieved bipedalism, it led to the beginning of monogamous living, deepening love between men and women and the development of emotions. From the fossil remains of an ancient Homo sapiens child dating back two hundred thousand years, evidence suggests early religious rituals, indicating that humans expressed spirituality at an early stage. It became clear that upright posture was the key to developing spirituality. I hypothesized that upright posture enabled the direct reception of energy from both the heavens and the earth, connecting mankind’s anima, and I sought to create a piece that symbolized this idea. One morning, while meditating, the image of Peace Crystal appeared in my mind.

You once said of your practice that you’re interested in “circulating past iconography in the present to get to the future.” Your art often appears as if it could travel in time, from past to future. I feel this also applies to this new work. How does Peace Crystal interact with the past, and do you feel it can help envision the future? 

This piece is about the origins of humanity. It is a monument expressing humankind’s very existence. Life has been inherited from humanity. Our distance was inherited, leading to our presence today, and this life will be passed on to future futures. We all originated from Africa, and although humanity has spread across the globe, the artwork is a reminder of our origins and that we are one large family. By remembering this, we pray for the peace of humanity for future generations. The spectrum sphere at the center of the Peace Crystal represents the eternal soul. This work embodies a wish to convey to future generations that Peace Crystal transcends time and space, resides in the collective consciousness of humanity, and that life exists to illuminate the soul.

The installation will run until October, then it will be gifted to Ethiopia and permanently installed in a cave. The work honors the origins of our shared human lineage, beginning in Ethiopia—the cradle of over six million years of evolution. How did this connection with Ethiopia come to you? 

In 2005, I had a solo exhibition at the University of Tokyo’s Museum. At that time, I met a researcher who came to Japan from Ethiopia to conduct a 3D scan of a 4.4-million-year-old hominid fossil. I was working on a piece inspired by the Jomon period but did not directly engage with paleoanthropology. However, twelve years later, I coincidentally reunited with the researcher at a museum in Ethiopia. This encounter became a significant impetus for developing the idea of installing Peace Crystal in Ethiopia.

Most people know you for your works from the 1990s, which questioned the idols of Japanese underground culture and the collective traumas that it sublimates, also following WWII and the nuclear attacks. How does this new commission intersect with your restless research around questions of life, death, reality and technology? 

Peace Crystal represents the evolution of Homo sapiens and marks our current moment of advancement—the average height of the modern human is 167.5 centimeters tall. The sphere at the core represents the eternal soul: the soul of every living being consistently cycles through life, death and rebirth. Twenty-five years ago, I first utilized the technique of dichroic vacuum deposition in my work Dream Temple. At that time, it was developed as a colored lens for halogen lights, featuring a unique processing method that caused the colors to appear differently depending on the angle of refraction. Ten years ago, I began experimenting by applying this technique to three-dimensional objects. This endeavor resulted in successfully producing a variety of color expressions based on the form of objects. I have incorporated this technology as a core element in Peace Crystal. My work with the Faou Foundation has always centered on Hon. Asature. As we are also part of nature, Peace Crystal seemed a perfect crystallization to express gratitude for life and a prayer for peace for all humanity.

You approach art profoundly, believing it can become a powerful spiritual tool of energy reactivation and reconnection with the Earth’s cycles. What do you think should be the final role of art as a product of human creativity and intellect?

First and foremost, I believe that the virtue of art lies in its freedom. There is no need to be bound by existing rules; expression holds infinite possibilities for creative and existential deity. One could say that creativity is akin to divine ability. The joy of creation is immeasurable. From the inception of prehistoric stone tools to the present day, the power of creation and spirituality have developed in tandem’s growth of the soul, which is inseparable from creativity.

Now that we have entered the era of A.I., it would be such a shame to relinquish humanity’s most noble endeavor to AI. Animals also share love amongst themselves, with the ability to express love through art forms and connect people’s hearts, transcending time and space through their creations. Art is not merely for consumption; I believe it should inspire the spiritual growth of humanity, aiming to design creations that aspire to even greater heights.

Venice has a long history as a center for trade and cultural exchange between countries, a unique platform to exercise cultural contaminations and exchanges. What does it mean for you to bring this specific work into the context of Venice?

Venice, a city floating on water, has a thousand-year history of coexisting with nature and is a testament to Western cultural creations that have reached artistic heights. Even today, it continues to enchant people from all around the world. It is also known as the birthplace of the art Biennale—the Olympics of contemporary art. Before permanently installing the Peace Crystal in a remote location in Ethiopia, I wanted to share its message with people worldwide and sincerely pray for peace, considering the current global challenges.