Meiro Koizumi

The video works by Meiro Koizumi are compelling and visceral explorations of aspects of human psychology. Often in dialogue with actors, he creates precarious situations that are psychologically unstable and as manipulative of actors as they are of the viewers, reads the artist's note of 'Theatre Dreams of a Beautiful Afternoon'. As the title of the installation refers to something very soothing and harmonious, the video installation begins with portraying passengers in relaxed mood after a busy day in compounds of two metro trains. Gradually the tension grows manipulating the situation from ordinary to painful and focuses the moment when a situation gets out of control, becomes embarrassing, breaks social rules or beyond one's emotional restraint. On selection of a train journey for delivering the message of his work Meiro Koizumi said, 'Tokyo is a big and crowded city just like Dhaka. To avoid being absorbed by this overflow of people, everybody is wearing "mask" and "armour" to protect their personal space within their mind. This dynamism is most visible on the train. I tried to shatter this mask and armour, and tried to expose the humane emotion hidden inside.' 'I asked an actor to cry on the train in the heart of Tokyo. When he was just sobbing, people didn't respond to him at all. They are so used to ignoring such behaviour. So, I asked him to perform again and again. Every time, I asked him to cry louder and louder. At the eighth take, when I asked him to just scream at top of his voice, we finally managed to shatter people's mask,' Koizumi said. 'During the production, the earthquake struck, and nuclear plants exploded last year in north-eastern Japan. We all wished it were all dream,' Koizumi stated. Two separate compounds have been used to create a kind of half dream/ half real space within exhibition space using the projectors. Though the characters are different in two compounds, sequences are almost the same- loading and unloading of the boarders in different stations and nobody gives any attention to others. To relate the dialogues between two compounds, same questions and answers appear at the same period on the both of screens. (from: New Age. The outspoken daily, december 2013)