Shadow Performers
Shadow Performers
- Prologue –
"When the disaster happened in Japan on March 11 2011, we did not know how and where to express our emotions, which were almost close to anger. We have been very sad and confused but we also encouraged ourselves to recover from that emotion. At that time we were far away and worried about our families, and friends. This remote situation urged us to do something."
They (Keiko Sato, Rumiko Hagiwara and Yu Kuramoto) initiated the project, "Shadow Performers," with the intention to reflect on the influence of the catastrophe on their art practice as European based Japanese artists. They invited seven other Japanese artists to participate. The disaster raised questions about their roots and how they can relate to Japan as an artist.
The title, "Shadow performers" is inspired by the three stagehands, called Kuroko, in traditional Japanese puppet theatre. They are head to toe clothed in black, in order to imply that they are invisible, and not part of the action on stage. They operate a puppet, move scenery and props onstage, and are aiding in scene and costume changes. Instead of hiding from scenery like Western puppet theatre, Kuroko are in full view of the audience as anonymous actors as well as mediators.
They are there (visible), but not there (invisible), creating a specific kind of present, a field of contradictions.
It is somehow related to the way the participant artists see themselves in their experience of getting involved in reality, especially in connection with the recent disaster.
The first exhibition, "Shadow performers, -Prologue-," will be realized in Galerie de Expeditie in Amsterdam. During the presentation in the gallery some artists will be present to exchange thoughts with the public.
"Shadow performers" is an ongoing project; it aims to realize cultural activities in various countries.