Japanese Artist Ryotaro Muramatsu's "DANDELION PROJECT" On display in UAE's Emirate of Sharjah until January 21, 2024

TOKYO, Dec. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tokyo-based creative company NAKED, INC., and its founder Ryotaro Muramatsu have been honored to participate in the 2023 Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival, running from December 14, 2023, to January 21, 2024, in Sharjah, UAE. The festival, marking its 25th anniversary with artists from over 40 countries, showcases Muramatsu's "DANDELION PROJECT".

Selected for its timely theme of transcending differences and fostering global connection through prayers for peace, the "DANDELION PROJECT" involves planting dandelion-shaped installations globally. Participants blow on a DANDELION, and their prayers for peace travel virtually as a dandelion seed through the project's network, blooming into digital art flowers at another location. This initiative has been implemented in 56 locations worldwide, including Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, San Francisco, and the G7 Hiroshima Summit.

Presently on display at the Tower of the Sun in the Expo '70 Commemorative Park in Osaka and in Taipei starting December 21, the DANDELION bridges these cities with Sharjah in real-time through blooming flowers of peace.

Since founding NAKED, INC. in 1997, Muramatsu has led projects from filmmaking and spatial presentation to live performances of traditional Japanese arts. With a film production background, he directs projects beyond traditional boundaries, weaving technology, formative arts, sound, and scents into compelling narratives, attracting billions of guests worldwide. In 2018, Muramatsu began creating fine art as a solo artist, fusing multi-sensory elements into personal and conceptual themes. The "DANDELION PROJECT," launched in 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 affected world, aims to unite divided people through art.

"DANDELION is an art piece that connects people worldwide with a simple physical act of making a wish on a dandelion—a childhood memory that many of us share. I hope we can go beyond our differences to connect with one another through art and plant flowers of peace throughout the world."

— Ryotaro Muramatsu

RYOTARO MURAMATSU

Artist / Founder of NAKED, INC. / Visiting Professor at Osaka University of Arts / Branding Director of Achi Village, Nagano. Since founding NAKED, INC. in 1997, the Tokyo based artist has led projects in various fields such as film, spatial presentation, local revitalization, and traditional Japanese arts. His films have received 48 nominations and awards at film festivals worldwide.

Website：https://ryotaro-muramatsu.com

Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/ryo_naked

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