This October in Paris, contemporary artist Eugene Kangawa and A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE will debut a collaborative project that reimagines the artist’s seminal body of work Light and shadow inside me (2022—) through a new textile innovation. Conceived over three years of dialogue between Kangawa and designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae with his team, the project will premiere at a special exhibition staged during Art Basel Paris, designed by Paris-based architect Tsuyoshi Tane.
Kangawa’s Light and shadow inside me series, created entirely with light through photograms and earlier sun-faded works, serves as the foundation for the collaboration. The A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE team translated the artist’s vision into a textile that achieves a gradient from black to white solely through variations in weaving density. Using only black and white threads, the fabric mirrors the effects of silver particles on photographic paper, marking a technical first in textile design.
The Paris exhibition will showcase the newly developed textile alongside test pieces, creative tools, and selected artworks. Guided tours led by Kangawa and Miyamae, as well as an interactive workshop, will allow visitors to explore the process firsthand. Following Paris, the project will be presented in Tokyo and Osaka.
“Issey Miyake’s human-centered philosophy resonates deeply with my work, particularly in exploring themes of existence,” Kangawa said. “Light and shadow inside me began with sunlight and later evolved into photograms made with only paper and light. To now see it translated into fabric, and to present this in Paris, is an extraordinary moment.”
Miyamae echoed this sentiment: “We returned to the smallest unit of fabric—a single thread. By working only with black and white threads, we explored light and shadow through weave density, translating Kangawa’s philosophy into the language of cloth. It’s a new perspective for our practice.”
The work will also be permanently installed at the forthcoming Eugene Museum in Tabanan, Bali, opening in summer 2026. Designed by Indonesian architect Andra Matin, the museum will span more than a hectare and include 15 gallery spaces, overnight programs, and architecture that integrates local materials and landscape. Located within a UNESCO World Heritage area, the museum will house over 15 permanent works by Kangawa, including those from Light and shadow inside me, offering visitors the chance to experience art across shifting light and time.
The Paris exhibition marks the beginning of a new chapter for Kangawa and A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE, an encounter between contemporary art and fashion that redefines the possibilities of textile, material, and light.
