Tokyo Independent 2019

2019, Selected Group Exhibition, The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts

Installation view from the solo exhibition Tokyo Independent 2019, 2019

Tokyo Independent is an open-call art exhibition with no restrictions on eligibility. It welcomes all participants regardless of age, nationality, ethnicity, cultural beliefs, gender, or sexual orientation, and irrespective of whether they have received formal art education. The exhibition is founded on the principle that anyone with the will to be an artist is eligible to participate.

【Exhibited Full Statement】

Four years ago, my abusive father died of cancer. Since then, his Buddhist altar has occupied a place in our home, and my mother cherishes it deeply, treating it as if it were my father still alive.

To me, however, this altar emits a strange, alien presence within the house. It feels as though it oppresses me, eroding the contours of my mind and making me feel as if I am slowly disintegrating.

While it serves as a tether connecting me to my relationship with my late father, no amount of connection can change the fact that he is dead. This led me to question: what exactly is this object to me? In order to find the answer, I decided to exhibit my father's altar.

However, please note that certain items are missing from this display:

The ihai (mortuary tablet) and the statue of Dainichi Nyorai usually housed inside are not exhibited. This is in accordance with my mother's wishes; she insisted that they are "sacred objects, not spectacles for display."

Additionally, the offerings of rice, barley tea, sweets, and fresh flowers could not be exhibited due to museum regulations regarding the risk of decay and potential contamination of the facility.