For her thesis »Drifting Organs«, Saito created various pieces that related to one another in an installation, creating a unique atmosphere. »Each piece has been created with great care, right down to the smallest detail, and each embodies its own poetic presence«, stated the jury.  Saito uses traditional Japanese materials and techniques in her work, including rice paper, paper mâché, inks, and special printing techniques and combines these with modern approaches.  

Saito’s submission for the scholarship was an experimental concept that focussed on the relationship between body and nature. She will be travelling to various places in Japan, Spain, and Germany, allowing each location's natural conditions to affect her body. »My current artistic practice involves visualising the relationship between the natural phenomena that occur in the places that I live in or visit as well as my physical perception of the location«, explains Saito. The artist assumes that the body has its own awareness of the outside world in her observations: »Each part of the human body belongs to an individual, but the parts are not dependent on the control of human consciousness. I imagine each part of the body perceiving the outside world in its own way, regardless of how I feel when I am in that place.  My process consists of first examining my surroundings and noticing how my body relates to it. For this project, I focus on the connection between different climates and the influence on physical perception«.

The twelve-month, 10,000 euro scholarship is awarded each year by the »Kulturstiftung des Freistaats Thüringen« in cooperation with the »Kulturförderung der SV Sparkassenversicherung« to two artists. The results are presented in an exhibition and publication the following year.

Masami Saito’s works can be seen on her website:
masamiarte.wordpress.com

Further information on scholarships can be found here:
www.thueringer-landesstipendien.de/kuenstler/aktuelle-stipendiaten/103-masami-saito

Questions can be directed to Romy Weinhold, Press and Public Relations Officer for the Faculty of Art and Design by phone at  +49 / 36 43 / 58 11 86 or by e-mail at romy.weinhold@uni-weimar.de