MIDORI.so Bakuroyokoyama Gallery is pleased to present 71°, a two-person exhibition by emerging artists Midori Kawaguchi and Kaisu Chiba, both graduates of Musashino Art University (2025). Working with distinct materials—indigo and soil (plasterwork)—the artists share a deep interest in slow, tactile processes rooted in traditional craft. In 71°, they explore the subtle boundary between what is seen and what goes unnoticed. Drawing from their material investigations, the works quietly reframe overlooked elements of everyday space. By bringing attention to surfaces, textures, and the presence of materials that often fade into the background, the exhibition invites viewers to sense the fine threshold between awareness and unconscious perception. Through these parallel approaches, Kawaguchi and Chiba reinterpret inherited techniques with contemporary sensibilities, reconnecting them with daily life, spatial experience, and the act of noticing itself.

Midori Kawaguchi

Born in 2002 in Yamanashi Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Spatial Design at Musashino Art University in 2025, specializing in the Environment course with a focus on material research and installation. In her fourth year, she created an installation using indigo dyeing under the theme of “updating traditional craft,” which led her to pursue indigo not simply as a traditional technique to be preserved, but as a contemporary expressive method connected to everyday life and spatial environments. She currently works as a Community Organizer (CO) at MIDORI.so while continuing to develop indigo-based installation work.

Kaisu Chiba

Born in 2003 in Aichi Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Spatial Design at Musashino Art University in 2025, where he studied in the Interior Design course with an emphasis on material research and installation. During his fourth year, he worked extensively with “earth” as a primary material, which led him to discover plasterwork. This encounter sparked his interest in traditional craftsmanship, and he is currently training as an apprentice plasterer while refining his technical and material practice.