Ai Hashimoto is a Japanese artist who lives and works in The Hague, the Netherlands. 
She has exhibited in various galleries and museums. Last year, for example, her graphic work was exhibited at Escher in het Paleis (The Hague) and her performance at the Kloosterkerk was shown on the television programme 'Nationale Nieuwjaarszegen’ (NPO EO).
The starting point for her work is always a story. A story that she creates herself and ritual theories play an important role. It is not surprising that she has a background as an anthropologist. She studied anthropology at the University of Leuven in Belgium and fine arts at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in the Netherlands. She incorporates her anthropological knowledge and interest into her artwork. 
A major inspiration for one of her stories is the tsunami disaster in Japan. She developed the story about the character 'Kinoko', who develops new kinds of organisms and creates an unfamiliar landscape out of the barren desert. Kinoko is a mushroom-headed character who descends from the sky carrying a bag filled with the essence of life.
Prologue of the 'Kinoko' story;
After the Pink Tsunami disaster, everything was gone and covered with pink sand. 
All living things seemed to be extinct. 
One day, 'Kinoko' came down from the sky. 
It was carrying a yellow bag full of the essence of life. 
Kinoko was alone. It took the bag and put the bottom head into the ground. 
It sat down in a relaxed pose for a while. 
Small balls began to bubble on the surface of the bag and quickly covered everything. 
Suddenly all the balls burst and were absorbed into the pink desert. 
Then new life began, like bamboo shoots after rain. 
It seemed to be new life that did not exist in the previous world. Everything was covered with new life. The landscape is unfamiliar.
It was the beginning of a new era, for better or for worse.
 
Ai creates multimedia works, with which she has now created a surprising and multifaceted oeuvre. Painting, paper art, sculptures, installations and performances that always reveal surprising forms and rituals she has devised.
A destruction and a resilience of nature have been important themes in recent years. Through her art, she shows us a new, scenic world, more positive, peaceful and serene.


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