About the artwork

Unstaffed MarketI set up about 30 unstaffed shops in the parking area of the Echigo-Matsunoyama Museum of Natural Science and other locations in Matsunoyama. I had seen several unstaffed roadside stalls on the roads leading to Matsunoyama. They seemed to me signs of an invisible morality, testing purchasers with a silent demand to pay for their purchases. In effect, the customer’s ethics are tested by an agreement to buy and sell based on trust. I was highly attracted by the ethics of the local residents, who are so willing to trust each other, and thus I asked local farmers to participate in this project by allowing unstaffed selling of their produce during the Triennial, as a form of silent communication with visitors. I am deeply grateful for their cooperation throughout the long exhibition period. (Project in progress from the Triennial 2000)