Hitoribocchi – Japanese for “solitude” – captures the evolving meaning of loneliness in a world transformed by pandemics, conflict, and artificial intelligence. As human connection and identity become increasingly complex, this project offers a contemplative perspective on what it means to exist in uncertain times. Through artistic exploration, Hitori(bocchi) invites reflection on isolation not as absence, but as a space for resilience, adaptation, and redefinition.
In the aftermath of a global pandemic that brought the world to a standstill, the meaning of “loneliness” has fundamentally changed. Prolonged isolation, ongoing conflicts, domestic unrest, and the rapid integration of artificial intelligence into daily life have all contributed to a growing uncertainty about the future of human existence.
Hitori(bocchi) is an exhibition that responds to this moment. Part of Solitude: Loneliness & Freedom, the exhibition will take place in Kyoto with its own unique interpretation.
It focuses on the dual nature of loneliness: the pain of isolation and the quiet satisfaction of being alone. These contrasting emotions–deeply rooted in Japanese cultural experience–will be explored through a diverse range of media, including painting, sculpture, animation, sound installation, and performance. Featured artists include both Japanese and international voices, offering a multifaceted reflection on solitude in a time of transformation.
(1936–2023)
Born and based in Osaka, Fukuoka became one of the pioneers in modern Japanese sculpture in the 1950s. However, in 2005, he declared: “I am a sculptor who no longer sculpts,” and he stopped creating works of art. Since then, he has led a typical artist’s existence, torn between the desire to continue creating and the question of whether he could find fulfilment without it. The exhibition features a set of five paintings, onto which the artist has repeatedly etched the phrases “nothing to do” and “die, die! die?”. These will be shown alongside his landscape sculpture Like Denchu, which depicts a man (the artist’s self-image) fishing alone by a pond all day.
(1981– )
Born in Osaka, Satoko Matsui lives and works in Kyoto. During her postgraduate studies at Kyoto City University of Arts, Matsui started researching sculpture in relation to voids in space. Since then, she has explored the concept of showing “something missing” by using hidden and unrecognizable elements—such as houses (symbols of our daily life) or supports (used for artworks)—to ambiguously comment on contemporary society and its systems. Although her work resembles the kind of minimalist furniture found in a Muji store, it is just an abstract presence without any functions. Matsui will exhibit her work, Dummy Heater (2016), and a new installation which will be presented at the entrance of The Terminal KYOTO, a renovated traditional Japanese house built in 1932.
(1983– )
Hartmann, a Berlin-based filmmaker and video artist, explores a uniquely Japanese phenomenon—evaporated people. “In Japan, if you want to disappear from your life, you can just pick up the phone and a ‘night moving company’ will turn you into one of them.” In 2019, he presented a video installation titled Johatsu—Evaporation in Tokyo, which later became a radio documentary commissioned by the BBC World Service in collaboration with Sundance Institute. By experiencing the audio installation based on the BBC radio documentary, listeners gain an insight into why and how these individuals chose to disappear and how they struggled to rebuild their lives in a totally different world. During the exhibition period, the film Johatsu—Into Thin Air will be screened at Demachiza, an arthouse cinema in Kyoto.
(1997– )
Born and based in Tokyo, Machida began exploring the theme of “not losing sight of loss” after the death of a close family member from ALS. In an effort to preserve her narrative of memories, she works across various media, such as animation, video, glass, light and electronic devices, creating imaginary scenes taken from undeveloped films, disused game CPUs, poltergeists and narratives themselves. She is currently developing a new piece to be premiered at the opening of the Festival of Animation Berlin in September, and another new piece to be shown at the underground air-raid shelter of The Terminal KYOTO.
(1990– )
Born in Göttingen and based in Berlin, Schleef is a theater director who spent time in 2025 as a resident at Villa Kamogawa in Kyoto.
During her stay, she developed a project titled I Love Japan and Japan Loves Me, an homage to Joseph Beuys’s iconic 1974 performance in which he lived with a wild coyote in a New York City gallery for three days. Schleef explored the concept of loneliness through her interaction with a Japanese robot named “LOVOT,” which she embraced as both a best friend and a lovable pet.
Born in Hokkaido and currently living and working in Kyoto and Tokyo, Moriya completed a master’s program at Kyoto University of Art & Design, where he studied classical photographic techniques and the history of early photography. His artistic focus centers on how we perceive and remember landscapes, objects, and events that once existed. Through his photographic work, Moriya explores themes of absence and loss.
(1979–)
Born in Poland, lives and works in Berlin. She creates situations, performances, videos, and installations in collaboration with others to collectively explore emancipatory ideas for the future. She has previously organised a sci-fi dinner serving fossil fuels, staged a progressive hypnosis session for activists, invited a Georgian polyphonic choir to comment on the digital divide, co-organised a post-patriarchal live-action role-playing session, and a temporary high-street shop (Tear Dealer) where people could cry and sell their tears for cash. For the exhibition in Kyoto, she focused on konbini culture — a phenomenon quite unique to Japan — and, in collaboration with students from Kyoto City University of Arts, created a new installation featuring a range of speculative products addressing the issue of loneliness.
