Rei Naito　Giving Back / Reconnaissance

Born in Hiroshima in 1961. Currently based in Tokyo. In 1985, she graduated from the Musashino Art University, College of Art and Design, Visual Communication Design. She attracted attention with “One Place on the Earth,” which was exhibited at the Sagacho Exhibit Space (1991), and in 1997, she exhibited the same work in the Japanese Pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale. Her works are based on the theme of “Is our existence on the Earth a blessing in itself?”. Selected Solo Exhibitions include:“Being Called” Karmeliterkloster, Frankfurt am Main (1997); “Tout animal est dans le monde comme de l’eau à l’intérieur de l’eau” The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura, Kanagawa (2009); “the emotion of belief” Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Tokyo (2014); “the emotion of belief” The Japan Cultural Institute in Paris (2017); “Two Lives” Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2017); “on the bright Earth I see you” Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki(2018); “Mirror Creation” 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Ishikawa (2020); “breath” Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München, Munich (2023); "come and live - go and live" Tokyo National Museum(2024).

Permanent installations include:“Being given” (Kinza, Art House Project, Naoshima, Kagawa, 2001), “Matrix” (Teshima Art Museum, Teshima, Kagawa, 2010). Awards received include Promising Artists and Scholars of Contemporary Japanese Arts by Japan Arts Foundation, (Installation field, 1994), 1st Asahi Beer Arts Awards by Asahi Beer Arts Foundation (2003), 60th Mainichi Art Prize (2018) and 69th Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts (2019).