Soya Arakawa / 荒川創也

Lives and works in Krefeld, Germany

1984 born in Hamamatsu-shi, Japan

2011- 2015: Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany, class of Prof. Rita McBride (Akademiebrief, Meisterschüler)

2009-2011: Guest student, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, class of Prof. Rita McBride

2003-2007: Kanazawa College of Art, Japan (MA in sculpture)

Prizes and Residencies:

2015: 69. Internationale Bergische Kunstausstellung (Shortlist)

2014: Hogan Lovells Kunstförderpreis (2. Preis)

2008: Artist in Residence, Taipei Artist Village, Taipei, Taiwan

Solo Performances:

2020: Crystals, Market Gallery, Glasgow 

2018: Salon Story, as part of the exhibition Es dauert, es ist riskant at Hans Arp Museum, Rolandseck, Germany

2015: Body Health and Koku Gaku, Kunstraum Düsseldorf, Germany

2014: One print for free, Gent, Belgium

A Live Comedy Activity, lecture performance at Filmwerkstatt, Düsseldorf, Germany

2013: Nashinamure, Herz Jesu Kirche, Wuppertal, Germany Ceramic, Malkasten, Düsseldorf, Germany

2008: Decomposing Soya Arakawa, Barry Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan Praising Booth, TAV, Taipai, Taiwan

Collaborative Performances:

2021:

Bibliopark, directed by miu, Stadtbüchereien Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf

Ghost3 Butoh Soundart Performance-Parcours ll, with Yu Sonoda, Weltkunstzimmer, Düsseldorf

2020:

The Teacher, directed by Agnes Scherer , Cabaret Voltaire , Zürich

Passacaglia della vita, directed by Spine, Simultan Halle, Cologne

2019:

Fermata, directed by miu at FFT, Düsseldorf, Germany

Tag H Ex, directed by miu at FFT Düsseldorf, Germany

The Teacher, directed by Agnes Scherer at Kinderhook & Caracas, Berlin, Germany

2018:

Empty Balloon Society Ex, directed by miu at FFT Düsseldorf, Germany

Tag H, directed by miu at FFT Düsseldorf, Germany

Erst wo die Dinge sich erschöpfen, beginnt die Wirklichkeit, Museum Alte Post, Pirmasens, Germany

Cupid and the Animals, directed by Agnes Scherer at TRAMPS (offsite BAM Fisher), New York, USA

2017:

Gebrauchsanweisungen zum Verschwinden, dance piece directed by Chikako Kaido, Terepsichol, Tokio, Japan

Empty Balloon Society, directed by miu at FFT, Düsseldorf, Germany

Cupid and the Animals, directed by Agnes Scherer at Museum Ludwig, Köln, Germany

Gebrauchsanweisung zum Verschwinden, dance piece directed by Chikako Kaido at Weltkunstzimmer, Düsseldorf, Germany

Cupid and the Animals, directed by Agnes Scherer at TRAMPS (offsite Copeland Gallery), London, UK

2016:

Duo performance with miu, c!ang #13, Düsseldorf, Germany

Die Insel, dance piece directed by Chikako Kaido at Weltkunstzimmer, Düsseldorf, Germany

Zahntherapie,directed by Ivan Geddert, Tanzhaus Düsseldorf, Germany

Der Meister kommt, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany

2013:

Verantwortung, Schmela Haus, Düsseldurf, Germany

Travel Log, Kunstverein Düsseldorf, Germany

Dunamis, collaborative performance with Daisuke Inoue, Kanazawa Bidai Art Gallery, Kanazawa, Japan

2012:

Inside the spaceship of VSC, collaborative performance with Vasileios Zarifopoulos at Asta Ausstellungsraum, Düsseldorf, Germany

2011:

Spot, Galerie Arnaud Lefebvre, Paris, France Spot, Sammlung Philara, Düsseldorf

Solo Exhibitions

2016: Rat Rat, Room with a view, Düsseldorf, Germany

2015: I’m a boy, Te-te, Kunstraum für bewegte Ideen, Düsseldorf, Germany

2011: Eine spektakuläre Einzelausstellung - die Antwort in meinen 30ern, SHaus, Krefeld, Germany

Group Exhibitions:

2021:

友達と – „tomodachito“. Mit Freund*innen, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf

2018:

A Letter, Park Kultur, Düsseldorf, Germany

2017: Room with a view, Room with a view, Düsseldorf, Germany

2016: Mary & der Vulkan. Eine meteorologische Phantasmagorie, KIT, Düsseldorf, Germany

2015:

Hochdruck, Galerie Spletstößer, Kaarst, Germany

5 x 3, Kunstraum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

69. Internationale Kunstausstellung, Kunstmuseum Solingen, Solingen, Germany

The integrated short-short, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany

Believing History, River runs through it, Kloster Lorsch, Lorsch, Germany

General Exposure, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf

Spring garden in a certain place, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

Object Manipulating Economy / Economy Manipulating Object (Installation: Ten thousand leaves and a big fish at the former laundry shop August Fröhls), Mönchengladbach, Germany

2014: Erkenntnis, Galerie M29, Köln

2013: VARIANTE FANTASTICO_endloser Heimweg, Nashinamure, Herz Jesu Kirche, Wuppertal, Germany

Sportsgeist, Malkasten, Düsseldorf, Germany

Project Cicciolino, Kanazawa Bidai Gallery, Kanazawa, Japan

Project Cicciolino, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

2012: Dokumentation, MEM, Wuppertal

Kunstpunkte Düsseldorf, Kunst im Hafen e.v., Düsseldorf, Germany

2011: Kunstpunkte Düsseldorf, Kunst im Hafen e.v., Düsseldorf, Germany

MAULWURFTREMOR, Villa Karl Marx, Viersen, Germany

Tops, Sammlung Philara, Düsseldorf

Legend of the Artist, contribution to class exhibition, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany

2010: I will be a big star!, contribution to group exhibition at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany

2009: I wanna be a big star!, contribution to group exhibition at Tokyo Wonder Site Hongo, Tokyo, Japan