Signs of the Intangible
by MIRO ITO
Body-mind-scapes from 1400 years of performing arts in Japan

For many years, photo artist and author, Miro Ito has been exploring signs of the intangible as she uses her camera to capture transformations in body culture, in her photographic series which she calls body-mind-scapes of prayer and dedication as well as expressions of enlightenment, including Buddhist statues and objects of worship that are listed as National Treasures and Important Cultural Property of Japan.

Ito has also explored the history of Japanese performing arts and their lineage from along the ancient Silk Roads.

From Gigaku, the oldest known Eurasian mask theatre which arrived in Japan 1400 years
ago (of which only some masks survive today), to the Bugaku dance and mask culture that integrates various ancient court performing arts and music—now defunct in continental Asia, to Noh that developed into theatrical drama in the 14tn/15th century, to contemporary avant-garde Butoh: a quest for the soul as an eternal light in body culture; Ito has depicted the intangible side of spirituality and turned it into photographic masterpieces.

This photo book which conveys a part of the author’s journey to the body-cosmos serves as a catalogue accompanying the world travelling exhibition Signs of the Intangible.

This is a portfolio with new and unpublished works, including Quick Silver (mercury),
a collaboration with Butoh dancer Ko Murobushi, which became the official image of the
Venice Biennale (dance section) in 2006—accompanied by the author's newly-written art essays.

This photo book invites viewers to immerse themselves in 1400 years of Japanese physical expression, illuminated by the centuries-old light of East-West exchange along the Silk Roads.