Pure Land © 2013 Mariko Mori, Member Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/Digital Image © 2013 Museum Associates/LACMA/Licensed by Art Resource, NYPure Land
Mariko Mori. 1998 C.E. Color photograph on glass
Curator Note
"A futuristic, digitally manipulated photograph depicting the artist as a sci-fi goddess floating on a lotus in a dead sea. "Pure Land" is the paradise of Amida Buddha. Mori blends traditional Buddhist iconography (lotus, mudras) with anime aesthetics and pop culture, creating a serene, spiritual fantasy world that transcends time and space."
Form
- Large-scale photograph printed on glass (giving it a glowing, screen-like quality).
- Digital manipulation creates a seamless, synthetic landscape.
- Pastel color palette: pinks, oranges, and soft blues.
- Central symmetry focusing on the floating figure.
- Part of a larger immersive 3D video installation titled "Nirvana".
Function
- To create a modern, spiritual utopia ("Pure Land").
- To merge Eastern mythology with Western technology and pop culture.
- To explore the artist’s own identity as a manufactured pop idol.
- To induce a sense of calm and meditation.
- To visualize enlightenment in the digital age.
Content
- Mori dresses as the Kichijoten (Buddhist goddess of frivolity/beauty).
- Floating on a lotus blossom: symbol of purity and rebirth.
- Alien musicians float on clouds, playing instruments.
- The Dead Sea background (salt): symbols of purification and timelessness.
- The "stupa" like object represents a futuristic pagoda.
Context
- Mori worked as a fashion model and brings that performance to her art.
- Reflects the "Cool Japan" aesthetic: anime, manga, cosplay.
- Influenced by traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e prints and Buddhist art.
- Global Contemporary: blurring lines between art, fashion, technology, and religion.
- Questions the reality of the digital image vs. spiritual truth.