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Views of IKAI
Editor's Note
Written by Satoshi KOGANEZAWA   
Published: October 21 2009

This exhibition shows you artworks owned by Tokyo University of the Arts and creations made by the teaching staffs of the university. Indeed, the collections which were displayed at the beginning part of this exhibition contributed to evoking for me a deep and historical image of Tokyo University of the Arts, and the attempt to show the various kinds of works created by the different staffs in the same exhibition was appealing. However, it was hard not to feel that there were some problems which prevent the viewers from enjoying the exhibition smoothly, such as the unclear descriptions about the order of viewing the exhibits and the lack of instructions of the names of the people who wrote the descriptions shown on the panels, and a wide range of abilities and quality of the artists/exhibits. Therefore, I cannot help imaging the trend in the field of art education in Japan - “IKAI (alien world)” - that training staffs in Japanese art schools bring their political intentions into their class rooms. Among the exhibits, only Masato Nakamura seemed to present valuable works. On the helicoidally-shaped stairs and in the resting room (?) at the back of the exhibition room, the video films, which recorded the interviews between Nakamura and art experts, were being aired. Nakamura has conducted these interviews as a part of the “Project of Art and Education” since 1997. The interviews, in which a number of art experts, including artists, educators and critics, are discussing their own theories about “art education”, have been considered as the precious materials and have been already compiled in several books. Nevertheless, it would be a rare opportunity for us to hear the interviews, while looking at the images of them. Here, let me introduce Nakamura’s exhibit. In front of the last exhibition room, you will find a clear box in which there are many yellow balls of clay. And next to the box, there is a sign saying, “If you wish to change the current art education in Japan, please drop the yellow ball from the head of the spiral winding stairs.” Then, dropping the ball, I left the venue. (Translated by Nozomi Nakayama)

Last Updated on November 03 2015
 

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