19th Entertainment Division Critiques

Works That Foreshadow the Future

How should a museum curator, with limited proficiency in cutting-edge technology and technological trends, be involved in the screening process for the Entertainment Division? As the preferred format for the information society shifts to smartphones, the Internet, and SNS, the "connection" between human and new media seems to still remain imbalanced in many ways. Human thoughts and behavioral patterns are becoming increasingly homogenous, and various problems arise when these tools are used for communication. Works submitted to the Entertainment Division utilize various media platforms, and since the concept of "entertainment" is ambiguous, the division presents itself as a "department store" for Media Arts. For these reasons, the only help I could offer was to discover works that make us reconsider and question the current situation surrounding the relationship between media and human from different angles. Putting themes and concepts aside, and disregarding the difference in production budgets and technical range of quality, we attempted to extract works that deal with digital media on a higher level, and reflect a balanced relationship between human and media. In hindsight, the number of works that associate with the infinite consciousness of those who live in the current times, and delicately respond to their needs, far exceeded our expectations. Problems that arose in 2015 surfaced as a number of common keywords that cut across genres of expression, revealing the fact that we are going through a large-scale transition, and that both human existence and the media environment are also in the midst of an extensive transfiguration. Since "entertainment" is destined to exist alongside consumption, the subject inevitably connotes the present moment. Ultimately, awards and recognition went to works that foreshadow the future within their captured sense of the "present moment". While the awarded works all share a sense of fascination that evoke instinctive pleasures, we hope that, within such colorful expressions, the audience will seize the opportunity to think about the future relationships between "self", "others", and "media".

Profile
KUDO Takeshi
Curator, Aomori Museum of Art
Born in 1967, he has been affiliated with the Aomori Museum of Art since its set-up phase. KUDO specializes in Japanese postwar (WWII) art. He has been engaged in many projects that question the system of “art” and “exhibitions.” He has curated exhibitions including TATEISHI Tiger 1963-1993 (1994), YAMAMOTO Sakubei (1996), Jomon to gendai (The Jomon Period and the Present) (2007), The TERAYAMA SHUJI Theatre-Museum (2008), Love Love Show (2009), Art and Air (2012), and TOHL NARITA—Art / Special Effects / Monsters. He has also curated tour exhibitions such as The Chronicles of KAIYODO (from 2004 on, Art Tower Mito, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, et al.) and Box Art (from 2006 on, Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, et al.). In recent years he formed Torimega Lab, which conducts research on visual cultures, together with MURAKAMI Atsushi (Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art) and KAWANISHI Yuri ( Iwami Art Museum, Shimane Arts Center). They have presented two exhibitions so far, Robots and the Arts (2010) and Bishojo: Young Pretty Girls in Art History (2014). His books include Aomori Art Museum Concept Book [Space Shower Books, 2014].
( 2017 )