Shohei Katayama: As Below, So Above

Mattress Factory is pleased to present a new solo exhibition from Japanese American artist Shohei Katayama.

As Below, So Above invites viewers to challenge their perceived reality and consider their place in a complex and ever-changing world. The exhibition draws inspiration from the ancient Hermetic phrase, “as above, so below” and explores the interplay and interconnectedness of “all things” through a dynamic work spanning two levels of the Mattress Factory’s original warehouse building.

Throughout the museum’s lobby, seventeen wooden floorboards have been selectively and precisely removed. In their place, transparent panels fill the voids, allowing light from the first floor to enter the underground gallery below. As visitors traverse the lobby, their movements unknowingly influence the light shining into the darkened basement. Simultaneously, via motion and sound sensors, visitors navigating the lower-level gallery will activate the lobby space above with subtle sounds and movements. In doing so, the spaces become intertwined, highlighting the relationship between these separate rooms, and blurring the boundaries between observer and observed.

Equal parts architectural intervention, minimalist earthwork, and meditative environment, the installation encourages reflection on the invisible forces that bind us together. Using light, sound, and sculpture, Katayama seeks to foster an awareness of the far-reaching consequences of our actions on others, while at the same time, create moments of awe and curiosity. Katayama’s work asks us to embrace the unknown and unpredictable on a scale that’s both micro and macro. As Below, So Above, is a reminder of the intricate web of relationships that shape our existence and highlights the responsibility we bear in cultivating a collective future.

The exhibition will be on view through May 19, 2024. For further information, contact: Derek January, Marketing Manager, djanuary@mattress.org / T +1 412-313-5412 

About the artist
Shohei Katayama received his MFA from Carnegie Mellon University. He explores the connection between nature, technology, and the scientific forces that shape human experiences and interactions. His work embraces principles of order and chaos to generate meditative spaces through movement and sound. 
 
His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Palazzo Mora in Venice, Italy. He received the Outstanding Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award by the International Sculpture Center, among other awards. Currently residing in Louisville, KY, he serves as an assistant professor of studio art at the Kentucky College of Art + Design and as the director of Carbon Copy Gallery in Louisville. 

About the Mattress Factory
The Mattress Factory is an artist-centered museum, international residency program and renowned producer and presenter of site-specific installation art. Located in Pittsburgh’s Northside, the Mattress Factory hosts artists from around the world and around the corner as they develop new works. In addition to revolving installations created by artists-in-residence, the Mattress Factory also is home to installations by Greer Lankton, James Turrell, Winifred Lutz, Yayoi Kusama and more. mattress.org