A review of the Art Action UK discussion event at Deptford X Project Space on 21 May 2016
By Beatrix Joyce
How does one comprehensively represent the
impact of the series of disasters that hit Japan in 2011? This is a question
that has attracted artists and curators from around the globe and is currently
being addressed, five years after the earthquake, tsunami and the devastating
nuclear disaster that took place in Fukushima. As was highlighted during the
artist’s talk, the Japan that is being revealed by these artists is not the
Japan that is being presented to us by the media; Japan channels a great deal
of effort into their arts and culture industry, which allegedly paints the
picture of a ‘cool’ Japan, supposedly fully recovered from the massive
upheaval. The relevance of the voices of artists such as Kyun-Chome hereby becomes
evident, as they offer an alternative view, subverting the dominant, political
agenda. Kyun-Chome’s exhibition held at the Deptford X Project Space presents a
selection of their interventionist and mixed-media art works which they have
been developing in the after-math of the catastrophes. In their own words,
their works build on the mantra ‘escape to survive’. They seek to exemplify the
human element of the victims, uncovering further issues of suicide and displacement.
Their works offer a twofold insight into the lives of those who have been
uprooted, and those who cannot leave the tarnished land they inhabit.
In ‘The Story Of Making Lies’ (2015), Kyun-Chome
teach elderly residents of a temporary housing unit how to use Photoshop. They
invite these victims, who will probably never have the chance to go home, to
digitally erase the barriers now placed in their hometown. By performing this
task the former residents revealed their true sentiments on the situation. Surprisingly,
they did not always express the desire to return and even showed signs of
optimism. This highlights the complexity of emotions invoked, as a mixture of
feelings of both nostalgia and acceptance became apparent. Kyun-Chome noted
that these thoughts may never have been exposed by a regular interview, and
they therefore advocate an art practice that offers a more enriching way into
researching political issues than conventional journalism ordinarily provides.
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| film still from The Story of Making Lies, 2015, image © Kyun-Chome |
Other pieces, such as ‘Time Of The Sea’ (2015)
and ‘Wake Up!’ (2015) capture emotions on a more abstract level. The stillness
of two hour glasses containing radio-active substances is disconcerting,
especially when contrasted with the startled responses of stray dogs to alarm
clocks. The power of nature is firmly combatted with ‘Do Not Enter’ (2013), a
gesture of human fragility and powerlessness performed on the beach in the
gusty wind. The alternated use of rude awakenings, passivity and helplessness
symbolise the weight and unexpected nature of the disasters, encouraging us to
question the extent of the power we have over our environment.
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| film still from Do Not Enter, 2013, image © Kyun-Chome |
Alongside Kyun-Chome, two curators were invited to speak at the artist’s talk.
Jason Waite, co-curator of the exhibition held inside the exclusion zone at
Fukushima, proposed the use of invisibility as a strategy. The invisibility of
radiation is hereby turned into an invisible exhibition, which serves as a
monument to those whose lives were lost and those who were displaced.
Furthermore, Ele Carpenter offered insights into how contemporary artists have
approached the effects of ‘the nuclear’. For example, the dilemma of nuclear
waste is marked by the creation of a programme that counts down forever,
broaching the incomprehensible concept of infinity. Along the same lines,
another artist prints 3D images of Perseus, the Greek god of contagion,
invisibility and dust. These statues are to be left behind for future
generations to find and question. The theme of inheritance is also embodied in
radio-active jewellery; a necklace was created containing stones that may not
be safe to wear for generations to come. In this way, the duration of progress
is embraced, as catastrophes take time to be processed, mourned and eventually
healed.
Art, as proven by Kyun-Chome and as propagated
by all speakers present, is an essential and progressive tool in the unearthing
of global, political and human tragedies. A tool which is perhaps, as all
Kyun-Chome’s works indirectly suggest, an aid in the process of healing too.
Bios
Kyun-Chome is a duo consisting of collaborating artists Eri Homma and Nabuchi.
Winners of the Art Action UK 2016 Artist Residency Award, their exhibition
Ain’t Got Time To Die was held at Deptford X Project Space from the 13th until
the 21st of May 2016.
Jason Waite is an independent curator and writer
based in New York. He is a co-curator of Don’t Follow the Wind: Non-Visitor
Centre, an exhibition held within the Fukushima exclusion zone.
Dr. Ele Carpenter is the Senior Lecturer in Curating at Goldsmiths College. She
is a curatorial researcher in Nuclear Culture with The Arts Catalyst and editor
of the Nuclear Culture Source Book.
