Borrowed Scenary (study) an exhibition of work by Bontarō Dokuyama (b. 1984, Fukushima, Japan), exploring the continuous interaction between historical perspectives and the unending dialogue between the present and past in Japan.
During the Meiji era (mid 19th century – early 20th century), considerable political tensions existed by widening imperialistic incursions by Western powers and aggression by Japan towards other Asian countries. In this atmosphere, there arose a strong awareness of a so-called “Japanese essence”, or “Japanese spirit”, for example, as represented by traditional “waka” poetry.
In Synchronized Cherry Blossom (2020), Dokuyama takes the symbolic cherry blossom, its historical and contemporary interpretation, and its adoption as a symbol of Japanese national identity. From the late 1920s until the end of World War II, the Japanese populace was led to believe that their young sons were going to war to gallantly sacrifice their lives to protect their families and loved ones. The same narrative linked soldiers whose lives were cut short to the Somei-Yoshino strain of cherry tree blossoms, with its petals that fall just a few days after reaching full bloom, in the minds of mourners. After the war, the Somei-Yoshino cherry trees planted across the country came to stand for reconstruction and booming economic growth. Today, the 100-yen coin contains an image of cherry blossoms, a symbol of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and a pretext for the annual gala gathering hosted by the country’s prime minister for his supporters.
Dokuyama Bontaro started his artistic practice after witnessing the utter change to his hometown of Fukushima brought about by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, and the meltdown of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear Power Plant. He creates videos and installations investigating forgotten memories of the past, places, issues and phenomena that have become hard to see in contemporary society. Dokuyama’s work involves the intervention of the artist himself by going to the location of a given incident to collect interviews with the people affected; he warns viewers of the possibility that, in our unpredictable modern world, anyone could become a victim at any time. By facing the past and investigating what has been left behind, as well as what has disappeared, Dokuyama reveals the memories and emotions of people who have fallen through the cracks of history, and the reality that fragments of ourselves may be buried in the future.
Borrowed Scenery (study) was curated by Keith Whittle and was exhibited as part of the 3331 Art Fair 2021. The project was financially supported by Yukiko Ito.
Special thanks to Tomoko Hisaki, Akio Tokunaga and Leesaya Gallery.
