Is art about fixing an idea, or keeping it in constant flux? Japanese-born artist Kazuko Miyamoto, who has lived in New York since 1964, answers this question with her string constructions series made of cotton threads, nails, and drawn lines. The exhibition at KW Institute for Contemporary Art lays bare the artist’s hermetic yet humane system centered on collectivity, performativity, and transience.
From 1968 onward, Miyamoto worked for many years as Sol LeWitt’s assistant, playing a key role in realizing his cubic sculptures and wall drawings. In an era dominated by Minimalism’s rigid geometric rules, Miyamoto gradually shifted patterns from canvas to plastic form, carving her own post-minimalist path. In her meditative, repetitive practice—relentlessly hammering nails and stretching threads—she always incorporated the possibility of human error into the system. The artist noted that this spontaneous yet abstract rhythm reflected the rhythm of her day: “I see myself primarily as a worker… Spontaneous, but abstractly, they reflect the rhythm of my day.”
The exhibition also traces changes in Miyamoto’s approach to space. Works produced in the 1970s at her non-profit Onetwentyeight gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and at A.I.R. Gallery—engaging in dialogue with architectural dimensions—are reassembled as islands in time and space. For over 60 years, Miyamoto has championed feminist networks and collective practices, assuming a significant role in the art world.
The exhibition is supported by a new publication, Kazuko Miyamoto – Conversations, which delves deeply into the artist’s career through interviews with friends, family members, and collaborators. Miyamoto’s art can be summed up in her own words: “The most beautiful thing is nothing on the wall, the second most beautiful thing is a line on it, and the third most beautiful thing is to pierce the wall”—revealing her perpetual quest to transcend boundaries.
Exhibition Information:
- Artist: Kazuko Miyamoto
- Title: String Constructions
- Venue: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin
- Dates: 31 October 2025 – 18 January 2026
- Important Note: Her first institutional solo exhibition in Germany.
- Additional Program: In parallel with the exhibition, choreographic responses by Joy Alpuerto Ritter and Ewa Dziarnowska, as well as a panel on feminist organizations, will be held.
