At the edge of Tochigi’s stone landscape, Ōya Grand Center emerges as a charged, contemplative world shaped by YOSHI NISHI, widely known as YOSHIROTTEN. Raised in Kagoshima amid volcanic landscapes and powerful natural forces, the Tokyo-based artist has forged a singular practice that radiates between graphic design, film, sound, and immersive installation. His work has appeared at institutions including Kirishima Open-air Museum and MUFG Stadium, while collaborations with JAGUAR, Hermès, Nike, and many more, have carried his visual language into global culture. His language feels instinctive yet meticulously composed, harmonizing immediacy with reflection.
At Ōya, this permanent exhibition bathes ancient stone in neon-hued light, dissolving the boundary between the digital and the elemental and inviting viewers into a sustained encounter shaped by place, time, and sensation.
YOSHI NISHI on Reading the Landscape
YOSHI NISHI, portrait by Ayaka Endo, courtesy of YOSHI NISHI.
Photo by Kazuki Miyamae, courtesy of YOSHI NISHI.
WHITEWALL: You have several ongoing series, such as SUN, RGB, and FUTURE NATURE. Which series are being shown at Ōya Grand Center? And what does the series aim to express and communicate?
YOSHI NISHI: Oya Ishikei and Transtone are part of the Future Nature series. This series is characterized by a deep respect for our existing nature, and the works are an attempt to convey this nature from a new angle or in an unfamiliar light. It’s important for me to create my works upon a foundation of research and fieldwork that respects the natural environment and culture of each site.
WW: When you first encountered Oya Grand Center and its stone quarry environment, what resonated with you most, and how did that initial response shape the project?
YN: Ōya is a town that was directly shaped by the quarry, so I first began by imagining the journey of the Ōya stones that were extracted from this area and sent out into the world. Then, as I researched, I also learned a lot of fascinating facts. Ōya stone is actually a very beloved material that has been used in iconic architectural works all across Japan. I also visited some repurposed former quarry sites that gave me the feeling of ancient temples. Apparently, there were once even plans for an underground city in Ōya. All of these discoveries became sources of inspiration for my work.
Japan is a land of abundant nature. Each area has its own plants, soil, and rock formations, all different, each carrying a history and culture that has developed in coexistence with human life. In my practice, I make sure to closely observe nature and its relationship with people and places, and pay attention to the messages our Earth is sending us, as I think of my works as vessels that carry these messages forward into the future.
“I make sure to closely observe nature and its relationship with people and places,”
YOSHI NISHI
WW: How did your process of observing, collecting, and listening to the Oya landscape translate into the final audiovisual installation?
YN: I was able to create works that are unique to this site precisely because these materials emerged through a process of onsite fieldwork. A defining characteristic of Ōya stone is its “miso,” the term to describe its characteristic holes and patterns. I captured this miso using photography and a handheld scanner, converted it into data, and then used this data to create digital drawings in the same way a painter would use painting supplies. These were then transformed into moving images that were projected onto the raw rock surface of the bathhouse. These drifting images are accompanied by a field recording sound. The result is a three-dimensional collage in which sight and sound intersect. Natural light is also an important part of the installation. Depending on the weather and time of day, the space is constantly shifting. In Japan, we have the phrase ichigo ichie–“one time, one meeting.” It refers to the idea that every moment is unique and can happen only once in our lifetimes. I feel this happens when the memories embedded in the rocks overlap with our present moment.
Time and Transformation
Photo by Kazuki Miyamae, courtesy of YOSHI NISHI.
WW: What did Oya’s materials reveal when you translated them into sound and moving image?
YN: I believe that the human act of interpreting beauty within nature is important. The abstract patterns extracted from Ōya stone, transformed and brought into being, drift and move through space in a way that feels tender, almost like living souls. It feels as though they were imbued with the presence of yaoyorozu no kami, the countless deities said to inhabit all things.
WW: How did the architecture of Oya Grand Center influence the sensory rhythm of the work?
YN: From the moment I first entered this site, I could already envision the emergence of something unique that would treat the rock surfaces that have long been enshrined here as a canvas. It was important to me not just to create an artwork, but to also illuminate the stone’s original presence from a new angle of light. Being sensitive to energy and spiritual aura is deeply important to me. By preserving a window area with views of the town and mountains beyond, I wanted to ensure that the space would not become isolated, but remain connected to the outside world. I always factor in how long a work will exist in a given place, and how the site, the artwork, and people will intersect over time. In this case, because the project was commissioned as a permanent installation, I focused on avoiding the creation of unnecessary additions and on preserving as much of the original site as possible.
WW: How did you think about time when creating a permanent installation designed to shift with light and season?
YN: I grew up in a home that was at the foot of a mountain. We didn’t have any streetlights, and as a kid I often couldn’t fall asleep until morning, so I came to know the darkness of night very intimately. I was able to learn firsthand how humans sense the passage of time through shifts in light. As for the temporal aspect of the work, the sound and projected images are thirty minutes long. Depending on the viewer, those thirty minutes may feel long or short; I imagined that the experience would be shaped by everything from one’s mood that day, to the weather itself. The venue for this work was originally a bathhouse, so I hoped the experience would allow one to bathe in the light of the installation and the sun, and the space-time of Ōya stone.
Imagining the Future Through Place
Photo by Kazuki Miyamae, courtesy of YOSHI NISHI.
Photo by Kazuki Miyamae, courtesy of YOSHI NISHI.
WW: What kind of awareness or emotional response do you hope the work invites?
YN: I feel that a dialogue with stone is also a dialogue with the Earth. In the same way, a dialogue with architecture is a dialogue with culture. By perceiving the place we inhabit more broadly and more deeply, we begin to see what usually remains invisible, and the world we perceive quietly expands. The insights we have can also change depending on whether we experience the work alone, or with others, or at different times of day. That is precisely why I hope people will return and experience it many times.
“The insights we have can also change…”
YOSHI NISHI
WW: In today’s culture, what role do you see a site-specific installation like this playing?
YN: New structures are constantly being built while existing structures are torn down. The landscapes before us continue to change. In a world where so much is being lost, I believe site-specific installations can become moments of awareness, opportunities to pause and notice what is disappearing. From there, a sensitivity toward what truly matters can emerge, and that feeling may lead to action. I’ve always been drawn to reworking what already exists through a new perspective. I think that approach naturally generates a kind of science-fiction atmosphere. Humans possess the power of imagination. I hope people will use that power to think about what they can create, to reflect on what is truly important, and to enjoy that process.
WW: How has working at Oya Grand Center clarified or shifted your relationship to landscape and imagination within your practice?
YN: Every place gives birth to something entirely different. It made me feel that the possibilities are endless. I want to continue discovering ways to carry the beauty of the Earth into the future through art. I’d love to do many more projects like this in many more different places.
