April 10, 2003 — June 04, 2003 18 Wooster Street, New York The Oneness exhibition featured two new bodies of work by Mariko Mori, both related to the Public Art Fund’s installation of Mori’s Wave UFO. Oneness is a sculpture of six “alien” figures, linking hands in a circle. When the viewer participates in the work by hugging the figures and welcoming them, the aliens’ eyes light up and their hearts start beating. When all six are hugged at once the base lights up as well. Oneness is an allegory of connectedness, a representation of the disappearance of boundaries between the self and others. It is a symbol of the acceptance of otherness and a model for overcoming national and cultural borders. It also is a representation of the Buddhist concept of oneness, of the world existing as one interconnected organism. Connected World, the other major new work in the exhibition, is a series of six circular photopaintings in opalescent cast acrylic frames. The work was developed from a series of paintings that served as the storyboard for the immersive video that is projected in the interior dome of the Wave UFO. Oneness represents Mariko Mori’s progression toward a deeper level of abstraction. Her presence has been dematerialized and is now embodied within the work. The work retains an element of performance, which was activated through the viewer’s participation. More information about: Mariko Mori