Takashima Megumi | "For a Placard" (Part 1)
This is the first part of a review of a group exhibition exploring how contemporary artists inherit resistance against power structures, starting from the ideas of Mitsuko Tabe.Summary
This article reviews the first part of the group exhibition "For a Placard" held at the National Museum of Art, Osaka. The exhibition references Mitsuko Tabe's 1961 essay "For a Placard," examining how contemporary artists inherit her stance of resistance against state power, oppressive systems, and norms surrounding sexuality and reproduction. Seven artists are featured, including Tabe, Tomoko Ushijima, Rieko Shiga, Shingo Kanagawa, Sawako Tanizawa, Yuki Iiyama, and Yuriko Sasaoka. This first part focuses on Tabe's 1961 series *Placard*, which addresses resistance against colonialism, racism, and female liberation, often through visceral collages suggesting the shape of the African continent as a female organ. It also highlights Sawako Tanizawa's *Chiisai Koe* (Small Voice), described as "extremely small placards" on ceramic shards, which visualize the wounded voices of minorities and the violence inherent in raising a dissenting voice. The review also contrasts Tabe's *Artificial Placenta*, which visualizes the self-sacrifice imposed on mothers under patriarchy, with Yuriko Sasaoka's video *Icarus's Bride*, which critiques patriarchal and conventional gender views, ultimately singing of awakening and liberation.
(Source：artscape)