Mother/Land

The Kurumaya Museum of Art Machiko Harada to curate “Mother/Land”, a contemporary art exhibition focused on the relationship between land and people.

“Mother/Land” features eight international artists whose work for this exhibition focuses on the relationship between land and people, reflecting the artists’ observations on displacement.

Each of us has a motherland. However, we are not mindful of it in times of peace. It is a symbolic land, a shared imaginary place that forms part of our identity. In times of crisis, however, “motherland” helps bring together individuals experiencing the hardships of forced migration caused by human or ecological disasters, colonization, poverty, etc. This powerful concept provides the nation with a home, a site charged with sentimentalism and nostalgia.

When the East Japan Great Earthquake happened three years ago, the earthquake was immediately followed by a devastating tsunami and a nuclear power plant accident that took away lands and countless precious lives instantly, dislocating people and causing tremendous loss and pain. The numerous victims, as well as many others eager to get over this agony, quickly came together as a nation to address this crisis. This moment created an opportunity for us to think of our motherland anew. A spirit of community and national consciousness were awakened after a period of a rise in individualism. This sense of togetherness brought about a dedicated and creative approach to recovery. However, this sense of community has also brought about a rise in nationalism that has led to an increase in hatred and discrimination.

This exhibition breaks up the nationalist notion of motherland. The slash between mother and land signifies a rupture that forces us to reconsider their relationship by focusing on the nurturing of the land that is crucial to our survival. The artists included in the exhibition offer diverse perspectives on land, nature, memories, sustainability, globalism and the process of displacement, which is urgently relevant to our contemporary lives.

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Akira Mori, Provisional Trading Place, 2014, courtesy of the Artist

Laura Horelli, Haukka-Pala (A-bit-to-bite), 2009, courtesy of the Artist, Galerie Barbara Weiss, Berlin

Laura Horelli, Haukka-Pala (A-bit-to-bite), 2009, courtesy of the Artist, Galerie Barbara Weiss, Berlin

Left: Momoyo Torimitsu, Round-table Talk with Evacuee Moms, 2014, courtesy of the Artist. Right: Momoyo Torimitsu, Business as Habitua, 2013, courtesy of the Artist

Nicholas Galanin, Tsu heidei Shugaxtutaan pt.1, 2006, courtesy of the Artist

Nicholas Galanin, Tsu heidei Shugaxtutaan pt.2, 2006, courtesy of the Artist

Sachigusa Yasuda, Michi (Unknown road), 2014, courtesy of the Artist

Sachigusa Yasuda, Spring Woter, 2014, courtesy of the Artist

Shigeyuki Kihara, Siva in Motion, 2012, © Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland. courtesy of Shigeyuki Kihara Studio and Milford Galleries Dunedin, New Zealand

Left: Guerra de la Paz, Oyama (Little Mountain), 2014, courtesy of the Artist. Right: Shigeyuki Kihara, Siva in Motion, 2012, © Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland. courtesy of Shigeyuki Kihara Studio and Milford Galleries Dunedin, New Zealand

Takuji Kogo, NON-SITES, 2005-2014, Online Advertisement, 2012-2014, courtesy of the Artist

Takuji Kogo, NON-SITES, 2005-2014, courtesy of the Artist

until September 07, 2014
Mother/Land
Curated by Machiko Harada
Artists: Nicholas Galanin, Shigeyuki Kihara, Guerra de la Paz, Takuji Kogo, Momoyo Torimitsu, Laura Horelli, Akira Mori, Sachigusa Yasuda
Kurumaya Museum of Art
3-10-34 Otome, Oyama city, Tochigi pref.

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