Shusaku Arakawa

The Mechanism of Meaning(No.2)13. Logic of Meaning 

c.1963-1988
1
Artist

Shusaku Arakawa

Date

c.1963-1988

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimentions

244.0×173.0cm

Accesion Number

AS-005-66~70

© 2016 Reversible Destiny Foundation. Reproduced with permission of the Reversible Destiny Foundation

This exercise, Logic of Meaning, explores how meaning emerges through relationships and context. We often assume that meaning exists within an object itself, but in reality, meaning is created by connecting different elements and interpreting the relationships between them.
Here, participants are invited to freely combine various forms—such as a line, a fish, an apple, or a scribble—with the same photograph of a person, and to consider the logical connections that can be established between them. The goal is not to find a correct answer, but to understand how meaning changes depending on the relationships and contexts we assign.
For example, a fish may be understood as food, as a living creature, or as a symbol, leading to different interpretations and connections. In the same way, a photograph of a person can be understood differently depending on the context in which it is viewed. This exercise demonstrates that meaning is not fixed, but is generated through relationships and context. It also encourages us to think of logic not simply as a set of rules, but as one of the frameworks through which meaning is constructed.

Shusaku Arakawa

Artist

Shusaku Arakawa

Date

c.1963-1988

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimentions

244.0×173.0cm

Accesion Number

AS-005-66~70

© 2016 Reversible Destiny Foundation. Reproduced with permission of the Reversible Destiny Foundation