Curators' Tour: Aki Sasamoto, Grilled Diagrams and Shamica Ruddock, The River Between

Amy Jones, Curator (Exhibitions) and Dot Zhihan Jia, Curator (Studios and Residencies) lead introductions to Aki Sasamoto, Grilled Diagrams and Shamica Ruddock, The River Between, providing an insight into each artist’s practice as well as the context and ideas behind both commissions. Aki Sasamoto, Grilled Diagrams For the artist’s first institutional solo exhibition in the UK, Sasamoto presents a major new sculptural installation and a series of performances that reflect on the transformative process of cooking. Through sculpture, performance and film, Sasamoto invites us to retune our perceptions of the extraordinary and the incidental. Everyday objects are repurposed in this expansive installation, while fact and fiction blur with autobiography in vivid and digressive monologues. Shamica Ruddock, The River Between Set against the backdrop of Guyana’s mining history, Shamica Ruddock’s new work in progress 16mm film Knock Down Pork Knocker examines the intersection of Caribbean folklore with the lasting spiritual, material and labour legacies of resource extraction following British colonial rule. After the abolition of slavery, Pork Knockers emerged as independent miners seeking fortune along the Guyanese interiors as they navigated the lingering extractive colonial economy. The film follows a story told by the narrator, performed by Coreen Harris Carberry, set deep within the Guyanese interior, a terrain marked by the spiritual and material debris of resource extraction. Within this narrative, we follow Kiso, a Pork Knocker, during his search for gold along the Kamarang River. Grilled Diagrams runs until Sunday 19 April 2026 The River Between runs until Sunday 12 April 2026 Grilled Diagrams: Lead Programme Supporters: Japan House London Trust, Shane Akeroyd and FOUNDATION FOUNDATION. Programme Supporters: Henry Moore Foundation and Bortolami Gallery . With additional support from Take Ninagawa . Studio Voltaire’s Programmes are core funded by The Studio Voltaire Council . Studio Voltaire’s 2025-2026 exhibition programme is supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts. About Shamica Ruddock Shamica Ruddock (b. 1992, London) has previously held residencies with Brussels experimental sound lab QO2 and Amant Foundation, New York. Solo shows include Deciphering a Broken Syntax, South London Gallery, London, UK (2022) and Palimpsests & Epithets Skēnē, Malmö, Sweden (2024). Solo live performances include ArtHouse Jersey, UK, (2025), Cafe OTO, London, UK (2024) and Hägerstensåsens medborgarhus, Sweden; Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, Hawick, UK, (2024), Festival presentations include Aesthetica Short Film Festival, York, UK (2023) and Timehri Film Festival, Guyana, (2023); Fellowships include the British Library Eccles Centre Visiting Fellowship and the FLAMIN Fellowship. Ruddock is currently a Sound and Music In-Motion composer. About Aki Sasamoto Aki Sasamoto (b. 1980, Kanagawa, Japan) is a New York-based artist who works in performance, dance, installation, and video and teaches at Yale School of Art’s Sculpture Department. Key solo exhibitions include Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (2025); Para Site, Hong Kong (2024); Queens Museum, New York (2023-2024); the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York (2023); The Kitchen, New York (2017); and SculptureCenter, New York (2016). She has participated widely in international exhibitions including the 59th Venice Biennale (2022); Aichi Triennale (2022); Busan Biennale (2022); Okayama Art Summit (2022); Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2016); Yokohama Triennale (2008); and the Whitney Biennial (2010). Sasamoto received the Calder Prize in 2023. Access This event will take place between the Gallery and Project Studio. Additional seating will be available. If you have any questions or need assistance with your visit, please feel welcome to contact us at +44 (0) 20 7622 1294 or access @studiovoltaire.org . Read Studio Voltaire's full access information here .

What to expect:
Mixed media, Installation, Performance / Live Art, Sculpture, Film / Video