Motoi Yamamoto is an internationally acclaimed contemporary Japanese artist from Hiroshima, Japan, who creates elaborate, site-specific installations made entirely out of salt. Often in the form of large-scale labyrinths or aerial projections of typhoons, Yamamoto takes one of the earth’s oldest, most sought-after mineral elements to cover the entire gallery floors during a two-week residency at the Monterey Museum of Art—Pacific Street location. Traditionally used as a symbol for purification and mourning in Japanese culture, the artist’s use of salt emanates from a powerful personal experience in working through the death of his sister. His artwork is rooted in themes of life, death, and rebirth, and his process with salt has helped him cleanse his grief. Return to the Sea, Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto is organized by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, College of Charleston School of the Arts. Video produced by John Greenwald

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