| Visual culture via photography, film, video,
CD-ROM, and other media is passing through an era of great transition
today because of the multimedia revolution. Amid this trend
of multimedia, in which all signs are digitally processed and
everything from production to viewing is done via a single medium-the
computer, the imagery industries in other Asian countries are
basically in a similar state as those in Japan, with only some
slight degree of difference. The situation is already familiar
in Japan through importation of commercial films and through
satellite broadcasting. The art of visual expression in the
Asian region, however, is still a virtually unknown world. In
many countries, artists are increasingly and eagerly tackling
the imagery medium, and it is obvious that the medium is going
to be a major visual art form in the next several years. However,
it is impossible to grasp the entire picture of the visual arts
in the context of contemporary art. The reality is that the
framework of understanding has not yet even been constructed.
Given such circumstance, this exhibition focuses
on the visual expression of photography and other mediums that
have followed in the framework of all of Asia, and seeks to
provide a place wherein one could see what the visual artists
think, what they express, and how they express it in relation
to the state of society and to technology at the turn of the
century.
It goes without saying that underneath what
we call the "Asian Visual Arts" there are great differences
among the countries. There is a great difference between Korea
and China in terms of their media environment and level of education.
The same can be said about the countries in Southeast Asia.
By placing the artists from these countries next to each other,
we will not only be seeing the differences in their expression
but also the technological, economical, and cultural differences
that provide backbones of their works.
That notwithstanding, it is my personal belief
that we will also be able to discover beyond such differences
what may be called a certain sensitivity and attitude that is,
in a sense, commonly shared in the Asian region. This may be
described as the strong inclination toward a spiritual space
and an attempt to visualize an invisible dimension through the
visual media. On the spiritual levels, as in their search for
identity, reconstruction of memory, and quest of communication,
these artists unfold profound thought processes that are distinct
from those of the West. Many of the artists have not yet been
introduced in the West, let alone in Japan. When we see them
in one collection, we shall witness one important activity surface-the
attempt to arrive at the invisible world through visual art.
The exhibition is in no way a large one in
its scope. But if this project could be the beginning of the
networking of communication between the visual arts of not only
Japan but those of other Asian countries, then as the first
of such attempts, our objective can be considered achieved.
I even think that this is rather a basic and necessary work
as we enter the 21st century.
Minato Chihiro(Guest Curator) |
