Etsu Egami’s art work is based on her life experiences. Her solo exhibition in Japan, "God’s Voice Human’s words?" and "The hidden truth", solo exhibitions in China "This is not a Mis-hearing game," and "Mishearing×Truth" all come from her experiences living in overseas. From her personal experience, she perceives life and reflects and re-think to society.

This solo exhibition is also the results of coming to Staatliche Hoschule fuer Gestaltung Karlsruhe in Germany and has opportunity to visit and research Staditisches Klinikum Karlsruhe . It is her true feelings.

She said that the hospital is the place to cure and the place where people die. A bit like the Japanese legend of “San Zu no Kawa”the river connect to the other side of world . The breath of the hospital made her feel how precious and how short life is, short moment like a burning match. She imagined Andersen's fairy tale "The Little Match Girl" she read in her childhood, and she imagined Japanese popular TV drama “A white tower” as the theme of the hospital , thinking of a variety of endless social phenomenon. What is the hospital? What is life? She constantly torture herself, although she was thinking may times but it is hard to solve the problem, but this process has already formed her story. She used her works to record her mind and distress.

Walking into the exhibition space,  hearing the sound of rubbing matches from time to time, it can not help but people feel terrified. This is a core part of the exhibition, a video of rubbing the match. Something in dusky dark background is dense words, in faintly visible is medical words in multi-language. She was repeatedly rubbing matches and turning light, looks like archaeologists, through the light of matches she was trying to find something in between the lines, the audience also want to see more information with the light of matches, however, the strong light contrast between the light of the match and the background , the things which appeared to fluorescent screen is a strong aura, in which words are melted down in the aura....

On the right side of the exhibition space’s wall , there is some black and white photos with a row, which extends to the back of the video works. These are the record of her research with Staditisches Klinikum Karlsruhe.

The middle of the exhibition space, there is some green ornamental plants which is typically can be seen in Germany, a long white cube pillars is surrounded by them. Soft green and dazzling white contrast, it is easy to feel the atmosphere of hospital. There is a box of matches above the pillar.

Boarding a white 8 level stairs which is exist on the left side of exhibition space , there is a headset hanging from the ceiling, which may be the continue of Etsu Egami’s art work "God’s voice, Human’s words?”, luring the audience put on headphones. They stand in front of everything and trying to hear the voice from God. Even though what they hear is "Versicherung ,まじかよ,Euthanasie、俺と同じ...", “Why? What's wrong? Ha ha ha ...”, Mis-hearing let people ridiculous and uncomfortable. She uses such a kind of language game , not only resolve some slightly heavy atmosphere in the exhibition space but also enabled the audience's thinking to walk out of the exhibition space, reflect on the differences countries different gap between ethnic people as well as the thing in deeper human nature and society.

She does not expect to solve, but fascinated by exploration.

Winter in Karlsruhe is cold, in the quiet winter night, she is rubbing a root of match, again and again disappeared in the dark night. What make her have such persistent energy?  What did she see in the faint light of the match?

Courtesy of the artist.