Japanese artist Yuko Mohri’s exhibition In Concert opened at the Barbican’s Curve gallery in London on 1 October. Created for the space, its installations respond to moisture, moving air and water.
In a new version of Decomposition, Mohri connects ripening fruit to streetlamps salvaged during the Barbican’s renewal. She repaired the lamps and wired them to sensors: changing moisture levels inside the fruit control the pulsing light. Decomposition is also translated into sound.
Another part of the exhibition develops her Moré Moré (Leaky) series, inspired by the improvised structures Tokyo subway workers use to catch leaks. In the gallery, buckets, tubes and other everyday objects are paired with musical instruments. Dripping water triggers chain reactions that make the elements move and sound.
The project grew out of Mohri’s residency at the Barbican. The curved gallery wraps around the Concert Hall and lets its sounds through, a feature she incorporated into the work. The installation therefore depends on the building as well as the objects within it.
The exhibition runs until 24 January 2027, with free admission. A joint performance by Mohri and artist Christian Marclay is scheduled for 8 October as part of the public programme; it has yet to take place.
