The Arts of Dissent: Art and Democracy vol. 3

“The Arts of Dissent: Art and Democracy vol. 3” is a continuation of “The Arts of Dissent: Art and Democracy” vol. 1 and vol.2  exhibitions held in 2022 and 2024.   The first “The Arts of Dissent” exhibition was held in May 2022, just as the spread of the new coronavirus was finally coming to an end, in response to the rapid transformation of international politics. The Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February of that year was one catalyst. The second “The Arts of Dissent” exhibition was held in June 2024, in the midst of Israel’s thorough attack on Palestine that had begun the previous year. Of course, the problem is not limited to Ukraine and Palestine. Nationalism, auto-nationalism, racism, and xenophobia are spreading around the world, leading to the rise of authoritarian states, political repression through violence, persecution of ethnic minorities, and the spread of fundamentalism. “The Arts of Dissent” exhibitions were attempts to consider how art can be involved in this crisis of democracy.   We are not sure if we should be ashamed of the fact that we have to continue with the third “The Art of Dissent” exhibition. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues, and Israel’s attack against Palestine has entered into the worst situation, which can now be called ethnic cleansing (genocide). On the other hand, it seems that the United States is about to abandon even the idea of modern democracy after the Trump administration came to power. Right-wing forces and xenophobia in Europe continue to grow, and political tensions and fundamentalism are steadily developing in Asia. The dysfunction of democracy can no longer be denied.   “The Arts of Dissent: Art and Democracy vol. 3” aims to create a temporary forum for discussing the relationship between politics, especially democracy, and the arts. Taking into account the recent national and international debates on art and democracy, we will welcome works, performances, discussions, and workshops to consider what can be done in this critical situation.

Artists/projects:
Alexandre Taalba , Amer Nasser, DANNY JIN × Hikaru Fujii, Ilya Yerashevich, KOHARU Project, Piotr Bujak, Readers without Borders (Mori Kaneko, Mari Oka), Rika Nakashima, Sungeun Kim, Victor Yakushev × Koyuri Sato, Visit Palestine Project, Watermelon Alliance, Yu Jiaxuan, and more.

Dates: Jun 13 (Fri) – Jun 15 (Sun), 2025
Hours: 10:00 – 18:00 *Last entry 30 minutes before closing.
Free admission
Place: 12-8 Ueno Koen, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-8714
Phone: 050-5541-8600 (NTT Hello Dial)
Venue: Chinretsukan Gallery (The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts)
Organizers: Graduate School of Global Arts (GA), Tokyo University of the Arts – Yoshitaka Mori Lab & Tomoko Shimizu Lab

 

Events Information:

Uprising, Violence, and Technology
Date & Time: Saturday, June 14, 14:00–15:30
Venue: Chinretsukan Gallery 1F
Guests: Rika Nakashima, Yuki Nagao, Tomoko Shimizu, Alexandre Taalba
Language: Japanese

After Gaza? Still, to Go On Living as Human
Date & Time: Saturday, June 14, 16:00–18:00
Venue: Chinretsukan Gallery 1F
Guests: Readers Without Borders (Mori Kaneko, Mari Oka)
Language: Japanese

After Gaza, can we still go on living? After Gaza, can we still call ourselves human? We will read, in Japanese, poems and essays written in English or Arabic—words that have risen from Gaza, or that have been written for it. Each piece will be accompanied by reflection and context. Against the unbearable lightness of language, we turn to words that try to tether humanity to Gaza—words spoken not in detachment, but in witness. So that we, too, might still find a way to live in this world, as human beings.

 

Body Printer
Date & Time: Sunday, June 15, 11:30–13:00
Venue: Chinretsukan Gallery 2F
Guest: Watermelon Alliance
Language: Japanese / English

In conjunction with Voices of Palestine: Vol. 3, an interactive performance will be held, followed by a discussion. The performance invites volunteers to lay on a roll of brown paper, and to have the outline of their body traced by others. As more bodies are marked, the paper rolls out. The work is an act of embodied questioning: what’s at stake when we write and read the voices of Palestinians? What would you like to write in the body?

 

Witch’s Activism — Speculative Fabulations of the Bards
Date & Time: Sunday, June 15, 13:30–15:00
Venue: Chinretsukan Gallery 1F
Guests:  Madoka (Modern Witch)
Coordinators: Rika Nakashima, Tomoko Shimizu
Language: Japanese

Contemporary Paganism and Wicca, which were revived in the 20th century, have developed into complex cultures through myths and rituals, transcending simple divisions of left- and right-wing politics. Among their adherents are those who have engaged in magical forms of political activism. This work traces the historical development of Paganism and examines how Reclaiming witches in Australia and North America reinterpret myth from decolonial, feminist, and queer perspectives—transforming these narratives into poetic and speculative fabulations that lead to real-world action.

 

The Memory of the 25th Hour — Film Screening & Conversation with the Artist
Date & Time: Sunday, June 15, 16:00–18:00
Venue: Chinretsukan Gallery 1F
Guest: Kim Sung-eun
Language: Japanese / Korean

Gangjeong Village——Jeju Island. Amid the tides of militarization, a quiet resistance is woven into the daily rhythms of life here. The documentary The 25th Hour gently traces the layers of memory and relational time that emerge through this ongoing struggle. Following the screening, we will connect Ueno and Gangjeong Village in real time for a conversation with the film’s director, Kim Sungeun, deepening our engagement with the work’s embedded contexts. From geopolitical histories and shamanistic worldviews to the temporality of community life— This program offers a space to listen to the multiple voices that cross through the island’s present, and to reconsider what it means to document, to resist, and to be in solidarity.

Image Designed by: Rika Nakashima