Opening Celebration: Forest of Mononoke

Join us to celebrate the opening of artist Saki Sonoda's largest-ever exhibition of new work! Explore an environment of new sculptures enlivened with light and shadow that reimagine the Japanese folklore figure of mononoke, and step into an uncertain world of forces beyond ourselves. Forest of Mononoke calls these enigmatic beings from folklore into contemporary Brooklyn as glowing, vibrantly-colored 3D forms, made from laser-cut acrylic and suspended in midair, that touch upon the things modern society has kept at a distance. While mononoke are often described as “vengeful” presences, Sonoda aligns these spirits more broadly with strong emotions and extraordinary experiences—unimaginable, yet inescapable forces such as Madness, Desire, and Death that humanity has long seen as part of the world and learned to live alongside. An intricate series of custom-designed lighting elements and blacklight effects illuminate the acrylic sculptures to create colorful projections of light and shadow that flicker and warp along the walls, shown alongside a selection of oil paintings from Sonoda's Greenroom series depicting nightlife performers in transformation. On select evenings, Forest of Mononoke is further activated with live performance by Peter Mercury (choreographer, aerialist, dancer, theatre-maker, and resident performer at House of Yes), who embodies the story of one person who finds themselves drawn into the world of mononoke and face-to-face with the enormity of madness, desire, and death, to accept them and go on living. Visit our calendar for dates and tickets!