Yuko Mohri: Entanglements

From September 18, 2025, to January 11, 2026, Pirelli HangarBicocca will present Entanglements, a solo exhibition by Yuko Mohri, a Japanese artist whose work explores the transformative potential of everyday objects and natural elements and their ability to generate visual and sonic shifts. Through ephemeral assemblages and interconnected systems, she draws the public's attention to fundamental environmental and social issues. 

Yuko Mohri (Kanagawa, Japan, 1980; lives and works in Tokyo) is known for her intricate and original compositions, recently presented in Italy at the 60th Venice Biennale (2024) in the Japan Pavilion. Inspired by Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968), Mohri creates site-specific kinetic sculptures that incorporate found items, as well as reworked musical instruments connected to electronic circuits. Her installations respond to imperceptible, transient, and ephemeral phenomena, such as gravity, magnetism, heat, and humidity. Random and unstable environmental elements—such as air, dust, debris, and temperature—shape her assemblages, transforming them into organic ecosystems where the sound component is central.

At Pirelli HangarBicocca, Yuko Mohri presents works ranging from the early 2000s to her most recent projects, which she continuously updates and develops by modifying them over time and carefully adapting them to the spaces in which they are presented. Mohri has a sophisticated ability to make worlds often regarded as niche—such as experimental music and contemporary art—more accessible by incorporating familiar everyday items, like kitchen utensils and washing gloves, adopting a playful approach that resonates with the audience. 

Entanglements, curated by Fiammetta Griccioli and Vicente Todolí and organized by Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, and Fundación Botín, Santander, is Yuko Mohri's most extensive solo exhibition to date at a European institution. The title evokes the invisible links and complex interactions that exist between objects, forces, sounds, and people. The show explores how each element belongs to an interconnected system in which nothing acts independently, and everything is part of a vast, ever-evolving network of relationships. Mohri's delicately balanced sculptures reveal the latent complexity of the natural and artificial structures that constitute our world and the flow of energy surrounding us.

The exhibition at Pirelli HangarBicocca features a core selection of works drawn from various bodies of the artist's oeuvre, reconfigured to respond to the unique conditions of the Shed space. Specifically, it presents Flutter (2018-25), I/O (2011–ongoing), Piano Solo: Belle-Île (2024), You Locked Me Up in a Grave, You Owe Me at Least the Peace of a Grave (2018), Decomposition (2021–ongoing), Moré Moré (Leaky): Variations (Flow#1, Flow#2, Flow#3) (2018), and Magnetic Organ (2004–ongoing). As Mohri explains, “I make my work in an improvised way. I don't depict a vision of a whole sculpture from the beginning. I always want to value the inspiration I got from the place and the encounter with it.” 

Catalog
The exhibition is accompanied by the most comprehensive monograph to date on Yuko Mohri's practice. The volume includes an overview of her work by art critic Ryo Sawayama; an essay by curator Martin Clark; and a contribution by curator Diego Sileo. A selection of Mohri's own writings offers a personal perspective on her relationship with sound and a text by the curators of the show provides deeper insight into the exhibition project at Pirelli HangarBicocca. Moreover, a unique feature developed specifically for this publication is the glossary, which explores key themes in Mohri's work and offers a new interpretive tool for understanding her evolving artistic language. Lastly, the catalog includes the Japanese Shōjo manga by Ran Kurumi illustrating Mohri’s artistic journey.  

Public program
Thursday, October 2, 2025: live performance with Japanese musician Eiko Ishibashi and American musician and producer Jim O'Rourke who will collaborate with Yuko Mohri to activate the artists' works on display in the Shed at Pirelli HangarBicocca.

Pirelli HangarBicocca
Pirelli HangarBicocca is a non-profit foundation dedicated to producing and promoting contemporary art. It was conceived and is supported by Pirelli. Established in 2004, Pirelli HangarBicocca has become a benchmark institution for the international and local art community. The museum is free of charge, accessible and open, as well as a place for experimentation, research and dissemination. It presents a programme of major solo exhibitions, multi-disciplinary events, publications, and educational courses.
Vicente Todolí has been the foundation’s artistic director since 2012.

Situated in a former industrial building, once a locomotive manufacturing facility, Pirelli HangarBicocca occupies 15,000 square metres, making it one of the largest single-level exhibition spaces in Europe. This vast area comprises the permanent installation of Anselm Kiefer’s The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004-2015.