Past Events
Sat, Nov 3, 2018 13:00 - 15:00
A new project that reconsiders the scope of chiiki art kicks off in Towada with a two-day panel discussion.
The term chiiki art (community art) was used in a 2014 discourse by literary critic Naoya Fujita to describe the large number of art festivals in recent years that were named after the region where they were held. Many different remarks were made in response to the term as well as problems related to it, creating the singular phenomenon of chiiki art. But the term has been talked about by a wide range of people, from all manner of perspectives, both pro and con.
Furthermore, the term chiiki means something different to everyone and can include local residents, communities, governments, and business entities. All of those things and more are wrapped up in the concept that people call chiiki art. Activities referred to as chiiki art can take on many forms, all of which are distinct in nature yet also overlap with each other. These can include international art festivals, regional art festivals, art projects, regional art museum projects, socially-engaged art, support activities, and local revitalization. The aim of this project is to drive a wedge into current conceptions and generalizations by carefully looking at the range of chiiki art that has evolved independently and by understanding their significance and successes, as well as future possibilities and potential risks.
What has chiiki art communicated to us? And should it even be called chiiki art? In this event, speakers will revisit and reexamine this term, and this talk, as well as future writings and exhibitions, are set to be compiled in a catalog that will be published next year.
On the first day of the panel, three experts will share their work and explain what the term chiiki art means to them, after which a moderator-led discussion will explore the scope of what chiiki art can, and should, be.
