Still from OM Rider, 2013. Courtesy of Ratio 3.

Still from OM Rider, 2013. Courtesy of Ratio 3.

Opening Friday, November 8th at Ratio 3, San Francisco is “Midnight”, an exhibition of new work by Takeshi Murata. For his solo exhibition Murata will debut a cinematic projection of his latest animated video, OM Rider, accompanied by a hologram from the same narrative project. “Midnight” combines Murata’s recent figurative animation with his ongoing exploration of new media. The hologram allows viewers to explore Murata’s animation as an immersive and reactive image, while the video depicts two characters navigating a shadowy computer-animated world. Designed, animated, and scripted by the artist, “OM Rider” balances high production value with handcrafted treatment of its two characters– a reckless wolf and an embittered old man– who are uncannily familiar, yet unique to the artist’s surreal aesthetic and dark humor.

Their relationship left ambiguous, the characters invite multiple interpretations; they may be longstanding adversaries, allegories, or sides of a single personality. With no defined beginning or end, “OM Rider” shows its characters in repetitive action: casting dice, ruminating, wandering the landscape, riding a moped, and ascending an endless staircase. Accompanied by an atmospheric soundscape designed by Robert Beatty, the two characters mirror and contrast each other, suggesting a timeless, repeating narrative.

“Midnight” is on view through December 14th, 2013.

For more information on “Midnight” visit Ratio 3, San Francisco.