2025
Solo Exhibition

Gallery38 / Tokyo・Japan

As various issues related to immigration become increasingly apparent around the world, Germany is no exception. Urban development driven by population growth has accelerated gentrification, resulting in various social contradictions and conflicts. I myself, living in Germany for 12 years, experience firsthand the daily changes in environment and values as an immigrant, and I continue to grapple with the question: by what standards should people be judged in this world? Immigrants are sometimes excluded, and at other times expected to carry cultural heritage. From one perspective, immigrants are “the other,” while from another, they are “the self.” Rooted in a land yet continuously influencing it, they exist in a state of ongoing negotiation.

In these two works, I use non-native plants that have taken root as “new wild ” in new lands as metaphors for immigrants. Among these, certain species are notably spreading and are of ecological concern; they are known as so-called “invasive plants,” with each country managing and responding to them in various ways. In urban development sites, many of these plants, which are highly reproductive and adaptable to harsh environments, can be found. Occasionally, they appear fossilized, covered by spilled concrete. Despite being buffeted by human activity and environmental changes, these plants eventually become part of the land, just like any other plant.

Fate laid me here incorporates plants collected from both Germany—such as Small Balsam, Black Locus, Tall Goldenrod, Japanese Knotweed—and Japan—including species like Bird’s-foot Trefoil and Western Dandelion—that are considered invasive or valued for ornamental or practical uses and have now become part of the landscape. The concept of immigration cannot be fully understood from a unilateral perspective; it only gains meaning through the perspectives of both the receiving and sending countries. Through my work, I hope to offer a small gesture of empathy toward the fact that somewhere in the world, right now, people face unimaginable challenges beyond our current location.

Rooted in time, memories in bloom features the non-native plant Red Clover (Murasaki Tsumekusa), which is commonly seen in Japan. The name “Tsumekusa” means “packing grass,” as it was introduced from Europe to Japan as cushioning material for imported glassware. Although foreign in origin, this flower has been familiar to many of us since childhood and is deeply rooted in our memories and landscapes. Also known as clover, this species is cherished in many countries as a symbol of abundant love and good fortune, connecting us transgressively across cultures, emotions, and geographical horizons.

As a clue to imagining the background of these works, a booklet summarizing the text is placed at the exhibition venue.

2025
Non-native plants from Europe, including Germany (Red clover), in Japan, wood, brass, glass, mirrors, stones, quartz sand, texts, and booklets.
H151 × W170× D138cm

2025
Non-native plants in Germany (Small Balsam, Black Locus, Tall Goldenrod, Japanese Knotweed etc.),
Non-native plants in Japan (Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Western Dandelion), Reinforced gypsum, Text, Booklet

H1.8 × W19 × D32 cm (Small Balsam)
H21 × W33 × D1 cm (Black Locus)
H17 × W13.5 × D1.5 cm (Tall Goldenrod)
H15 × W39.5 × D2 cm (Bird’s-foot Trefoil)
H28.5 × W32 × D2.5 cm (Japanese Knotweed)
H14 × W185 × D1.5 cm (Western Dandelion)

This booklet serves to accompany the interpretation of the works Rooted in time, memories in bloom and Fate laid me here.
Designed by Sam Kim
Images © BGBM Herbarium B, CC BY-SA 3.0. herbarium.bgbm.org/
(e.g., object/B101254822, B100741582, B101083153, B101273117, B101273504, B101172037)
© 2025 Asako Shiroki

2025
Blass casting, wood
H129× W59 × D10.5 cm

Evergreen is rooted in the memories of my family members, representing an anonymous figure in the historical context of someone who resiliently survived in both Korea and Japan after the war. Using the pine tree as a metaphor, symbolizing the Korean people, I present two distinct works. The first is a distill and blend of essential oils extracted from Korean and Japanese pine trees, poured into a glass bottle, with the quantity of oil symbolizing the weight of the soul at 21 grams. The fragrance, which has become a non-visual entity through distillation, gently permeates the exhibition space. Additionally, the silver chain suspending the glass bottle is likened to a coastline, symbolizing the border between Japan and South Korea.
This work treats “scent” as a perceptual experience that spans diverse fields including biology, history, personal history, geopolitics, and more. Destiny, coincidence, and inevitability intervene to created “Scent” as a sculpture that embodies memory.

Melting into color comprises two photographic pieces that feature a mixture of Japanese and Korean pines. Captured intentionally without focusing, the colors stand out as if the differences were mixed together. These works depict the process of a Korean family living in Japan assimilating into Japanese society, mirroring the assimilation of people born in Japan into Korean society.

Invisible yet still green (Video), through distillation, I merge diverse elements, allowing disparate events to converge. This transformation of substance from gas to liquid, then to scent, embodies the essence of “sculpture,” transcending visual forms to convey deeper meanings. She created a video work depicting this process by incorporating abstract elements.

I have an experience to participated in the Residency program, focusing on accessibility in arts and culture, inspiring further projects. One of these is exploring artistic expression beyond visual perception. While my previous works relied on visual experiences like sculptures and installations, but for people with visual impairments, the question arose: What is the concept of beauty that does not rely on visual stimulation? This project extended my work by introducing a new challenge: incorporating “scent” as a perceptual experience.
And also, my temporary loss of smell due to the after-effects of coronavirus infection led me to think about the act of smelling. As part of my recovery, doctors suggested smelling different scented essential oils everyday to help recover the memory of smells in my brain. Scent is memory. In other words, every time we feel a smell, we are replaying a memory. It is a sustainable initiative that mean “recall” memories and “re-generate” new meanings.

Around the world today, various issues continue to arise—including refugees, conflicts, climate change, and events beyond our imagination. By choosing and incorporating methods in my work that do not rely solely on the daily flood of visual information, I hope to imagine others and, even if just a little, offer comfort to the unknown you. With that belief, I wish to take steps forward beyond the haze.
We cannot escape perceiving things subjectively. However, by using others (including elements of nature) as a mirror and perceiving them abstractly, we can rise to a vantage point of objectivity and observe things from a broader perspective.

2023
Pigment print
H89.5 × W126× D1.5 cm each

2023
Glass, 21g of essential oil, silver chain
N/A

2024
6min 43sec
Director and Artist: Asako Shiroki
Videographer and Editor: Yoshihiro Inada
A film by Asako Shiroki

Cooperation:
Takuhito Kawashima (kontakt co ltd.)
Epo Labo (Distillation)
First Grade (Glass)
Green Peace (Pine tree)

2022
Wood, mirror, Silver chain, glaze
W15.5 × D35 × H100 cm

2025
Brass casting