Japanese artist Mariko Mori creates a variety of sculpture and photographic work that explores ideas and symbols related to the self and the connection with others. The artist’s work addresses the issues of Eastern and Western individualism within a unified society and the notion of a collective consciousness. Mori uses images and characters to serve as a model for transcending the boundaries of nation, culture and ethnicity. Collective mentality and the spirituality in mass culture are also of interest to the New York-based artist as depicted in her 1999 installation “Dream Temple” at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Mori attended the Independent Study Program at the Whitney Museum and is a graduate of the Chelsea College of Art in London. Recent exhibitions include “Art Unlimited” at the Fair of Basel in Switzerland and “Wave UFO” at the Venice Biennale.