Masahito Ono is a Japanese-born artist and curator living and working in NYC. Ono creates installations, photographs and outer space projects that capture the transience of nature and human life. He endeavours to rediscover the questions of existence and culture by frequently incorporating elements of poetry, science, history, andpoetry, science, history and philosophy. Ono received his MFA from Parsons School of Design in 2015. Prior to relocating to New York, he was an international video journalist based in Asia. His works have been shown extensively around the world including: Unfinished Festival, Bucharest (2020, 22); Ars Electronica Festival, Linz (2020); Ford Foundation Live Gallery, New York (2019); 38th EVA International, Ireland’s Biennial of Contemporary Art, Limerick, (2018); among many others. In 2020, Ono participated in an international art payload, Sojourner 2020, organized by MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative, and delivered his three artworks to the International Space Station in Low-Earth Orbit. He also participated in another art project for the ISS between February 2022 and January 2023, and the project has returned to the earth in preparation for its future flight to the moon.
Education:
2015 MFA, Photography and Related Media, Parsons School of Design, New York, NY, USA 2005 BA, Film and Media Arts, Minor in Art, Summa Cum Laude, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Solo Exhibitions:
2014 So Many Things Don't Know, MUSEE F for The Month of Photography Tokyo 2014, Tokyo, Japan 2012 Unmeasurable Sole, GALERIE OMOTESANDO + MUSEE F, Tokyo, Japan
Outer Space Project:
2022 Moon Gallery, an international art gallery payload to the International Space Station on board Northrop Grumman's CRS-17, Moon Gallery and 64 artists, Low-Earth Orbit (curated by Elizaveta Glukhova and Anna Sitnikova) 2020 Sojourner 2020, an international art payload to the International Space Station on board SpaceX’s CRS-20, MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative and 9 artist groups, Low-Earth Orbit (curated by Xin Liu of MIT SEI)
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2022 UNFINISHED Festival 2022, Eidos Foundation, Bucharest, Romania 2022 Artrepreneur: Curated, New York Artists Equity Gallery, New York NY 2021 Moon Gallery Exhibition, International Astronautical Congress IAC 2021, Dubai, UAE 2021 The Invincible Beings: Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program Alumni at FPC Gallery Space, The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, NY (curated by Zahra Banyamerian, NYFA) 2020 UNFINISHED Festival 2020, Eidos Foundation, Bucharest, Romania 2020 Space has Arrived, Ars Electronica 2020, In Kepler’s Gardens, Linz, Austria 2020 A Global Pandemic - What it Means to Me, Gallery Yuyama, ECHIGO-TSUMARI ART FIELD, Niigata, Japan (organized by Tadashi Maeyama) 2019 STATUS, curated by Zahra Banyamerian (NYFA), The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, NY 2019 Expanding Mail Art, Gallery Yuyama, ECHIGO-TSUMARI ART FIELD, Niigata, Japan (organized by Tadashi Maeyama) 2019 Wild, Wild Earth, Ford Foundation Live Gallery (New York Live Arts), NY (co-curated by Y. Castro, M. Abril, and D. DeltaDawn) 2019 Multiversant - ChaShaMa 340E 64th St. Gallery, New York, NY 2019 Postcards From The Edge - BORTOLAMI, TriBeCa, New York, NY 2018 38th EVA International, Ireland's Biennial of Contemporary Art, Limerick, Ireland (curated by Inti Guerrero) 2018 THERE IS NO THREAT, curated by Ashley Middleton for Float Photo Magazine - TriBeCa 145 Chambers St, New York, NY 2018 20th Annual Postcards From The Edge - Gallery 524, New York, NY 2017 Mediation - Ultra Super New Gallery, Tokyo, Japan 2016 Between Senses - Gallery House, Brooklyn, NY 2015 MiA: Beijing Station:: First Chapter - DDC, Beijing, China 2015 Push Pull- Arnold and Sheila Aronson Gallery, New York, NY 2015 2015 Future Projections - Auckland Festival of Photography, New Zealand 2015 Hyphen - Triangle Gallery Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA 2014 PHOTOFEAST, University Center Lobby, The New School, New York, NY 2014 Photoville 2014, Brooklyn, NY 2014 2014 Future Projections - Auckland Festival of Photography, New Zealand 2014 Made in China - Brooklyn Fire Proof, Brooklyn, NY 2013 13th Ping Yao International Photo Festival, Shanxi Province, China 2013 Photoville 2013, Brooklyn, NY
2019 MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative 2019 Open Call for Artworks in Low Earth Orbit, Cambridge, MA 2018 NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts) 2018-2019 Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program, Brooklyn, NY 2017 Triangle Arts Association Residency, Brooklyn, NY 2016 Shortlisted, The Royal Photographic Society Print Exhibition 159!, London, UK 2016 Nominee in 2nd edition of Fine Art Photography Awards, London, UK 2015 2nd place winner - Fine Art: Abstract, Intl. Photographer of the Year 2015, London, UK 2015 1st place and Gold Star Award in Fine Art: Abstract Category, Neutral Density Photography Awards 2015 2015 Honorable Mention, Fine Art: Abstract, Intl. Photography Awards, IPA, New York, NY 2014 AMT Departmental Award, Parsons School of Design, New York, NY
Visiting Artist Lectures/Presentations/Critiques
2020 Sep. Ars Electronica 2020, Linz, Austria (online) 2019 Apr. Parsons School of Design, New York, NY 2017 Jun. Tyler School of Art, Temple University Japan, Tokyo 2014 Jul. Parsons School of Design, New York, NY 2013 Sep. Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China 2013 Sep. Ping Yao International Photo Festival 2013, Shanxi Province, China
Selected Press and Publications (editorial and commercial works are not included):
2023 Editorial Team. "Prepare Yourself for a Long Journey Ahead, Brooklyn-based Artist Masahito Ono" LI TANG, 9 Jan, 2023, litang.zone/2023/01/09/prepare-yourself-for-a-long-journey-ahead-brooklyn-based-artist-masahito-ono/ 2022 Cîrlig, Ioana. "Tu cum te-ai uita la Pământ din spațiu? O conversație cu artistul japonez Masahito Ono" Scena 9, 12 Oct, 2022, scena9.ro/article/artist-conceptual-spatiu 2022 Matei, Alexandra Badicioiu. "[Off-Center] Masahito Ono: I always say inspirations do not come to you when you are looking for one, just like love" September 22. 2022, iqads.ro/articol/61312/off-center-masahito-ono 2022 Peredruk, Eloise. “Moon Gallery: the first museum in space” Next Nature Network, 7 March. 2022, nextnature.net/magazine/story/2022/moon-gallery 2021 Murata, Mai. “Journalism to Art - I'd like to create an lasting effect” VO1SS, 4 January. 2021, jp.vo1ss.com/2021/01/04/masahito-ono/ 2020 Maeyama, Tadashi. Ed. "A Global Pandemic - What it Means to Me" Exhibition Catalogue, Niigata Japan, Gallery Yuyama, 2020, P. 9 2020 Mevada, Reechal. “FictionFinder: A conversation with Masahito Ono” Fictionmapper, 3 June. 2020, fictionmapper.com/post/fictionfinder-a-conversation-with-masahito-ono 2020 Pollack, Barbara. "Across the Universe, With companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin pioneering a new era in space exploration, artists show what’s at stake" Air Mail, 20 May. 2020, airmail.news/arts-intel/highlights/across-the-universe-189/ 2019 Maeyama, Tadashi. Ed. "Expanding Mail Art" Exhibition Catalogue, Niigata Japan, Gallery Yuyama, 2019, P. 6 2018 Dunphy, Niamh. Ed. "38th EVA International" Exhibition Catalogue, Ireland, EVA International, PP. 258-261 (ISBN 978-0-9576258-4-6) 2015 Ono, Masahito. "AiOP 2015: RECALL Thinker in Residence: Masahito Ono." AiOP, 2015, artinoddplaces.org/aiop-2015-recall-thinker-in-residence-masahito-ono/ 2015 Ptak, Laurel. "PUSH PULL" Exhibition Catalogue, New York, Parsons School of Design, 2015, PP. 20-21
Professional Experience:
2022-Present Curator & Director of Commercial Operations, Artrepreneur, New York, NY 2015-Present Project Manager and Exhibition Designer, Alfredo Jaar Studio, New York, NY 2014-2015 Teaching Assistant, BFA Photography Thesis 1 and 2 with Laurel Ptak, Parsons School of Design, New York, NY 2012-2013 Marketing Planner, Dentsu Digital, Tokyo, Japan 2009-2012 Assistant Producer, Technical Producer and Cameraman, Reuters, Tokyo, Japan 2005-2009 Technician, Multimedia Producer, Bloomberg News, Tokyo, Japan 2005 Intern, WIEDEN + KENNEDY, Tokyo, Japan 2004-2005 Intern then Freelance Assistant Producer, CNN, Tokyo, Japan
