Faou Foundation

Coined by artist Mariko Mori, the word "faou" means “creative force.” Faou Foundation increases awareness of our planet’s natural treasures and promotes the idea, through permanent public art installations and related community-based educational programming, that humanity and nature are of equal value. Faou is not just an art foundation; it employs art as a means to conserve natural resources and celebrate local cultures.

Faou Foundation has been working steadily to create a series of ambitious installations by Mariko Mori in unique ecological settings around the globe, each placed on one of the six habitable continents. These installations will offer lasting testimonies to the natural beauty of their surroundings.

The permanent works promote a deeper understanding of humankind’s connection with the natural environment. They help preserve their local ecosystems and engage the communities that host each installation. The locations have specifically been chosen based on their pure natural settings as well as their native customs, cultures, and histories.

Through the gifting of Mariko Mori’s artworks, Faou continues the sacred and primal tradition of honoring nature. Each work stands as a symbol of awareness and appreciation for the planet’s diverse ecosystems. Joined together, they illustrate how these strikingly different sites around the world are interconnected.

Faou Foundation aspires to be a catalyst in transforming remote areas into engaging sites nurturing conservation and creativity. We utilize methods that are dedicated to the preservation of the environment and preventing climate change. Through these practices, we remain devoted to fostering sustainability initiatives and encouraging action through art.

If human history has taught us anything, it is that our environment is both powerful and fragile. Faou’s projects honor the beauty of nature and advance opportunities in which humanity can focus its efforts on reaching a greater Earth-consciousness and cultivating unity amongst all people.

Faou seeks partners and sponsors that share our values: respecting the environment, connecting the global community, and building peaceful, ecological coexistence. Our tireless work promoting an “Ethos of Oneness” reminds us that the time to come together is now.

Founded in 2010, Faou Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Mariko Mori

The critically acclaimed work of Mariko Mori has been exhibited globally and included in major collections worldwide. Highlighting her artistic and intellectual practice of combining science, technology, and nature, Mori established Faou Foundation, whose projects represent her most ambitious work to date and an “Ethos of Oneness.” 

Mori draws inspiration from the ways in which every civilization has honored nature and the unity of mankind through artistic form. Mariko Mori is widely regarded as one of the most important artists to emerge from Japan in the past fifty years. Solo exhibitions of Mori’s works have been organized by institutions worldwide including:

Royal Academy of Arts, London, United Kingdom; Serpentine Gallery, London, United Kingdom; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan; Espace Louis Vuitton in Tokyo, Japan; Prada Foundation, Milan, Italy; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, United States; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, United States; Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, United States; Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz, Austria; Aros Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus, Denmark; and Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands.

Her work is included in collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris; Prada Foundation, Milan; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Benesse Art Site Naoshima, Teshima; Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi; Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, Paris; Museo de Arte Contemporanea Roma (MACRO), Rome; Tate Modern, London; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; The Museum of Modern Art, Buenos Aires; Israel Museum, Jerusalem; and Pinchuk Arts Centre, Kiev. Her work has also been included in major biennales around the globe such as Venice, Istanbul, Sydney, Shanghai, São Paolo and Singapore. In 2013, as part of a partnership between La Fenice Theatre in Venice and the Venice Biennale, Mori was commissioned to design the costumes and sets for a production of Madame Butterfly.

Board

Board of Directors

Steven Goldglit

Yuko Hasegawa

Philippe Khuong-Huu

Mariko Mori (founder)

John S. Wadsworth, Jr.

Advisory Board

David Adjaye

Shigeru Ban

Marcello Dantas

Lisa Dennison

Tom Eccles

Marcio Fainziliber

Soichiro Fukutake

Charles Gepp

Lex Fenwick

William Haseltine

Bianca Jagger 

Rosa Moreira

Alexandra Munroe

Fumio Nanjo

Ann K. Richards Nitze

Julia Peyton-Jones

Marcus Vinicius Ribeiro

Michael Rock

Grethe Rostbøll

Charles Saumarez Smith

Carolina Tendler