Izumi uses a combination of his body, technology, and space to playfully create videos that strive to transmute the banal into superlative encounters much like alchemists of old sought to transmute base metals into noble elements like gold. As the “everyday alchemist,” Izumi takes an unconventional approach to his magical reordering of the quotidian. Using mundane objects, he concocts performances that distort the body, expand the perceptions, and rediscover the joys of good, cheap fun.
Izumi Taro 泉太郎 was born in Nara, Japan, in 1976. He received his BFA in painting in 2000 and his MFA in 2002, both from Tama Art University. Using a combination of technology and performance to make short videos and installations, Izumi creates an everyday aesthetic through his work. Some of his recent exhibitions include After the Reality, Deitch Projects, New York (2006), Out of the Ordinary: New Video from Japan, MoCA and Getty Center, Los Angeles (2007), Waiting for Video: Works from 1960 to Today, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (2009), and the solo shows: Magician’s Bread, hiromiyoshii, Tokyo (2008), My attempt to build a mountain ended up with a hole wide open, NADiff a/p/a/r/t, Tokyo (2009).