Shusaku Arakawa (*1936 in Nagoya, Japan; † 2010 in New York) was a Japanese artist and architect known for his conceptual work. From the 1960s onward, he lived in New York and, together with poet Madeline Gins, created works that explored language, perception, and meaning. Later in his career, he developed experimental architectural projects—such as the Site of Reversible Destiny—aimed at challenging human perception and conventional ideas of mortality.
He exhibited internationally in major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and Osaka. His major work, The Mechanism of Meaning, has been shown worldwide, including at the Guggenheim Museum.
