RPS KYOTO PAPEROLES: Wei Weng Photography Exhibition “The Heir Hunter’s Office” 8/24-31

08/21/2024

We’re proud to present the outcomes of our very first residency at RPS KYOTO PAPEROLES. Artist Wei Weng assumed the role of a temporary heir hunter. Together with RPS KYOTO PAPEROLES curator Yumi Goto, who took on the role of a temporary genealogist, they expanded upon the ideas Wei brought to the table and created this unique world.

The Heir Hunter’s Office

One day, an heir hunter appeared in Kyoto. Her purpose was to search for an heir who might be living in Kyoto. Vast amounts of documents and items related to the deceased have already been brought into her temporary office, filling the space to the brim. These items are arranged in such a way that they seem to breathe life into the room, as if the memories of the deceased are being revived.

As the search begins, individuals claiming to be the rightful heirs visit her daily. These are, in fact, the visitors to the exhibition, but each must prove that they are the true heirs by sharing memories related to the inherited items. However, the heir hunter already possesses stories connected to these items and will verify the truth of the visitors’ tales by comparing them with what she knows.

Are you the true heir who visits this place, or merely a storyteller? The conclusion of the story depends on your memory and imagination.

This exhibition presents the outcomes of a residency at RPS KYOTO PAPEROLES, where the artist Wei Weng assumed the role of a temporary heir hunter. Together with RPS KYOTO PAPEROLES curator Yumi Goto, who took on the role of a temporary genealogist, they expanded upon the ideas Wei brought to the table and created this unique world. Within the narrative they have woven, severed relationships, lost possessions, and hidden knowledge will surface before the eyes of the visitors. And as those who come to see the exhibition imagine the life of the deceased, creating and sharing their own stories, the existence of this space will gradually come to completion.