Celebra, the cultural programme for the Games, has given its official blessing to a new installation that she hopes will unite the continents through art.
The essence of the Olympic Games is the union of people through sport. With this in mind, Japanese artist Mariko Mori chose Brazil and Rio de Janeiro to spread her message: a connection between the two continents through nature and humanity.
This connection is the central focus of her new sculpture The Ring, which will be installed this Saturday in Muriqui, Mangaratiba, in the Green Coast region of Rio de Janeiro state.
“The Olympic rings symbolise each continent and their ethnicities, a celebration of peace”
“The vision of the ring at the top of the waterfall came to me in a dream seven years ago. In 2011 I had the opportunity to present an individual exhibition in Brazil which ended up becoming the most visited in the world that year, and it was then I started my search for the ideal waterfall for my sculpture.
“I discovered Véu da Noiva, in Mangaratiba, after a long search. When I saw it, I was convinced that it was the waterfall from my dream,” the Japanese artist explains to Rio2016.com.
“The five Olympic rings symbolise each continent and their ethnicities, a celebration of peace. I wanted to create a new ring to symbolise the union of humanity with nature,” Mori says.
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Mori, who presented her new work bearing the official seal of Celebra, the cultural programme of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is already known to the Brazilian public.
In 2002, her exhibition Oneness at the Banco do Brasil Cultural Centre (CCBB) in Rio de Janeiro, attracted an impressive 500,000 people in two months.
This created a special relationship with Brazil and led to her decision to take advantage of the Olympic Games for the inauguration of her new work.
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“I would like to express my gratitude to the Brazilian people,” the artist reiterated in an email interview.
“The ring will be given to the State Environment Institute (INEA), and I hope people will embrace the cause. It’s a real privilege to be able to exhibit my work during the Olympic Games, and I hope to be able to leave a cultural legacy that can serve as a bridge between the Rio 2016 Games and Tokyo 2020.”
