Mariko Mori: Intertwining Art and Shamanic Spirituality

By looking at the Japanese artistic milieu between the late 20th century and the first decades of the 21st century, it is possible to notice that the category “shaman” and the connected narratives are defined, used and re-negotiated in many ways. To illustrate this process of re-appropriation and re-invention of “traditional” terms and themes, this paper investigates the case of contemporary artist Mariko Mori. Her interest in spirituality, “traditional” religions, and archaeology has led her to construct a personal narrative of shamanism that develops in three main phases, going from a representation of the shamanic actor to the evocation of its role and, finally, to the embodiment of the latter. Her main aim of revitalizing the connection between humans and nature, by using the most advanced technology, can be traced back to “new spirituality” and, within it, to what has been defined as “shamanic spirituality”.