Born in Venezuela and based in Tokyo for the past decade, Aquiles Hadjis combines strategies from visual arts and improvisation to drive his performances, installations, and instrument building.
Linking the idea of prototypes to sketching, he thinks of both as thought that has solidified only slightly, enough to do things it cannot do inside the mind, but still malleable enough to exist as a frame for conversations that invite the unknown. Many of his works give voice to malfunctioning and unpredictable systems whose conversations he propitiates and moderates. Most can be encountered simultaneously as sound installations, stages, and musical instruments that create raw, warm soundscapes as they tangle around each other.
He has performed and shown his work in the US, Japan, Germany, Austria, Venezuela, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong among other places.
EDUCATION
Tokyo University of the Arts’ Fine Arts Phd Program (2014-2017)
MFA in Painting, Tokyo University of the Arts (2012-2014)
Diploma in Graphic Design, Universidad del Zulia (1999-2005)
Photography Course, Escuela Julio Vengoechea (1998-2001)
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
SOLO SHOWS
2020 「警戒：Don’t Come Inside」Studio Gross (Tokyo)
2019 「Vigilance: Study for a Pacific Furro」TwentyAlpha (Hong Kong)
2017 「Indoor Airs」Salon Shimauma (Tokyo)
2014 「High Score」HIGURE CAS (Tokyo)
2013 「Some Playgrounds」café 104.5 (Tokyo)
2013 「El Mito del Levante」Al Borde (Maracaibo)
2012 「Love Letter」棚 Gallery Bookshelf (Tokyo)
2011 「Indefinitely Unfinished」Maruchan Gallery (Tokyo)
2009 「La Forma y el Vacío」Sala Gabriel Bracho (Maracaibo)
DUO SHOWS
2015 「House Beats: Interface」Explosion Tokyo (Tokyo) (with Sam Stocker)
2011 「Según Consta」Daikanyama Hillside Forum(Tokyo) (with Beatriz Inglessis)
2005 「Puesto por los Caminos」Esc. Julio Vengoechea (Maracaibo) (with Juan Pablo Garza)
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
2020
「Tokyo Quarantine Vol.6 – ABSENCE」Online Show
2019
「GOMA: GEMOLOGÍA OPORTUNA MINORIAS AGITADAS」 GBG Arts (Caracas)
2018
「GEIDAI×KENDO – Artists facing Kendo and Art」
Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo)
「Liminal Structures」Art Studio Dungeon (Tokyo)
2017
「Koko to Soko」Komagome CAS (Tokyo)
「Invitation to Space」Lycée Français International Tokyo
2016
「Doctoral Exhibition 2016」Tokyo University of the Arts
「Honeycomb Catalogue」Senbyakudo Gallery (Tokyo)
「House of the 7 Veils」workshop and presentation taught by Sir Peter Cook (Tokyo)
「Kumanokodo Art Exhibition」(Kii-Nagashima)
2015
「Doctoral Researchers Exchange Exhibition」(Taipei)
「Producción Física del Mandato」Velada Remix 17 (Hamburg)
2014
「62nd Graduation Exhibition」Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo)
2013
「Experimental Synesthesia Stage」
Tokyo University of the Arts Museum (Tokyo)
「Transmissions」Airplane, Brooklyn (New York)
「Undressing」Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo)
「Vacio」Trip Hope (Miami)
2012
「Red Bull Canvas Cooler」RedBull HQ (Tokyo)
「GTS Award – Shitamachi Base」(Tokyo)
「Fuera del Silencio」Al Borde (Maracaibo)
「Fukushima Projekt」Satellite H.G.B. Leipzig (Germany)
「Null Point」Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo)
「CACRI Arte Contemporáneo」Centro de Arte La Trinidad (Caracas)
2011
「Propuestas de Arte Emergente」Periférico Caracas (Caracas)
「Atlas展」Tokyo University of the Arts (Toride Campus)
「XVI Salón Jóvenes con FIA」Sala Corp Banca (Caracas)
2010
「Sobyoten」Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo)
「10x10x10」Art Rap Foundation (Aruba)
2009
「No Man’s Land – Memento Vivere」Former site of the French Embassy (Tokyo)
SELECTED PERFORMANCES
2020
TONSPUR Kunstverein Wien Livestream
Live at Fluc w/Martin Burk, Vienna
Live at Vekks w/René Van Munster, Vienna
Live with Misaki Motofuji @ Velvet Sun Ogikubo
2019
月見 MOONVIEW, Twenty Alpha, Hong Kong
Live with Akaihirume @ Ftarri Suidobashi
AGAINST HARMONIC FASCISM, Anagra, Tokyo
2018
Live with Akai Hirume, AIREGIN, Yokohama
Sound Performance at BAR Shiget’s
2017
Tokyo Canal Links, Tokyo Art Book Fair, Terrada
iCLA, Yamanashi
Indoor Airs (sounds for a warm garden), Shimauma
50 Ans du LFIT Tokyo (Tokyo)
Asakusa-O「Bahar」@Lavanderia (Tokyo)
Obake Yashiki @ Bar Gari Gari (Tokyo)
Kitasando Alternative (Tokyo)
2016
Spectrum Solo Live (New York)
ISEA 2016 (Hong Kong)
Kill the Silence 2016: Luff does Hong Kong (Macao & Hong Kong)
Lacking Sound Festival (Taipei)
Meuko! Meuko! at Forest Limit (Tokyo)
2015
House Beats – Monten Live (Tokyo)
Kill the Silence 2015 (Hong Kong)
NOVA Vol. 5 (Tokyo)
Edward Schocker Remixed, Space N-AS (Tokyo)
eclat1: ALCI@ICLA Yamanashi Gakuin Daigaku (Kofu)
Crossroad @ Chiyoda Arts 3331 (Tokyo)
Live at the Museum Series (Tokyo)
Copernicus’ Spin @ Uplink (Tokyo) Dialogues @ NICA (Tokyo)
2014
The Voice of Reason @ Shimauma (Tokyo)
Obake Yashiki @ Bar Gari Gari (Tokyo)
Book Launch @ Bigakko (Tokyo)
2013
Aquiles & Manami’s Reversible Playground (Tokyo)
The Colour of Sunshine (Tokyo)
Book Society (Seoul)
Geisai 2013 (Tokyo University of the Arts)
Lick the Silence 4th edition (Fuchu)
Oto Hogushi @ Modal Beats (Tokyo)
Conversation with a Stranger @ Sonic Art Weeks (Tokyo)
Sam Stocker’s “The Architecture of Alliance” (Koganei Art Spot)
2012
Han Terra & Friends (SuperDeluxe) (Tokyo)
Ongakunojikan(Tokyo)
SPESLab Ottori Vol.3(Tokyo)
2011
Nishihara Nao & Fujita Ryuhei @ Koganei Art Spot
Mitsuyo Ooya Museum @ Sakuradai Pool (Tokyo)
2010
Born Yesterday @ Voodoo Noise Bar (Kyoto)
Geisai 2010 (Tokyo University of the Arts)
HanaKinOto (Japan, Germany)
INVITED TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS
Guest lecturer at the ”Art in the Real World” class at Hosei University (Tokyo) 2017
Guest lecturer at Tae-Hong Park’s Composition Class at NYU (New York) October 2016
Guest lecturer at the “Musical Appreciation” and “The Problem of Good, Evil & Freedom” classes at Universidad Ibero, Santa Fé, México. September 2016
“Outlining Presence, Punctuating Space” artist talk presented at the ISEA 2016 Conference held at City University of Hong Kong. May 2016
FELLOWSHIPS · AWARDS · RESIDENCIES
2020 Q21 MuseumsQuartierWien
2015-2017 MEXT Scholarship
2014 Ueno Yugei Prize (MFA level)
2013 Rotary Yoneyama Memorial Scholarship
2012 RedBull Canvas Cooler Tokyo (Winner)
2009-2011 MEXT Scholarship
DISSERTATION TITLE
“Art as a Frame for Dialogues with the Unknown”
Advised by Professors Hirotoshi Sakaguchi & Kazue Kobata (Tokyo University of the Arts)