Gender Free Statement
ARTISTS AND CULTURAL WORKERS’ STATEMENT ON GENDER EQUALITY AND “AFTER ‘FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION?’”
We, the undersigned artists and cultural workers, feel compelled to speak out against the closure of “After ‘Freedom of Expression?’” at Aichi Triennale 2019 from the perspective of gender equality—one of the stated principles of the Triennale’s organization.
One of the primary targets of the harassment and threats of violence received by the Triennale was the sculpture Statue of Peace by Korean artists Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, a work inspired by the voices and experiences of the women who suffered under the “comfort woman” system of forced prostitution, sexual slavery, and human trafficking exploited by the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy in military campaigns in the Asia-Pacific from the 1930s onwards. This is a work of art that fundamentally addresses the human rights of women. Contrary to contentions that it espouses anti-Japanese propaganda, Statue of Peace was made by the artists to commemorate the courage of the survivors of the “comfort woman” system, to acknowledge their trauma, and to encourage the public to reflect on the history of conflict-related sexual violence. The opposition and hate speech that have been directed against the work in recent weeks, as well as the pressure that politicians have applied on the Triennale in their calls for the work’s removal, are rooted in misperception and far exceed fair critique of the work. Such responses to the work unfortunately reflect the pervasive entrenchment of discrimination against women in Japanese society today, and stand in direct contradiction to the Triennale’s commitment to gender equality.
Despite the many decades that have passed since the era of the “comfort woman” system, gender-based discrimination remains pervasive at all levels of Japanese society today. Such discrimination of course affects diverse genders. To accept it is to perpetuate the violation of the human rights of all genders and others in socially vulnerable or marginalized positions.
With acute consciousness of the history of sexual violence and discrimination to which the survivors of the “comfort woman” system were subjected, we voice our strong objection to all forms of gender discrimination, as well as to discrimination in general.
Statue of Peace could have provided an opportunity for much-needed discussion in the context of the Triennale. This opportunity has sadly been lost due to verbal attacks and threats of violence. We harbor grave misgivings that the same kind of violent suppression of human rights–related discourse will be used again in the future to silence those who wish to address Japan’s history of aggression. Yet after all that has happened, we still believe in our capacity to empathize with and love others, and in the creativity of art past, present, and future as means for resisting such forces of oppression. As such, we call for the complete restoration of the autonomy of the Triennale and its participating artists, starting with the necessary reopening of “After ‘Freedom of Expression?’”
List of 557 Artists and cultural workers (October 4. 2019)
Adachi Yusuke
AIKYO Koji
Akemi Sakamoto
Akiyama Kanako
Amano Chieko
Amano Chika
Ahn Sehong ("After the 'Freedom of Expression?'")
Andrew Maerkle
Anna Hulacova (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Aota Yumi
Arai Hiroyuki ("After the 'Freedom of Expression?'")
Asano Moe
Azumi Kajiwara
Candice Breitz (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Chan Cho Kiu
Chim↑Pom ("After the 'Freedom of Expression?'")
Dora Garcia (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Endo Kaori
Endo Mizuki
Fujii Hikaru (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Fujiki Naomi
Fujiki Rika
Fujishima Yutaka
Furukawa Mika
Furukawa Yumiko
Ge Yulu (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Hamasaki Fumina
Hara Makiko
Hashimoto Satoshi
Hibi Yoshitaka
Hirai Yu
Hirano Fumie
Homma Mei
Honjyo Chikae
Horisaki Takashi
Hozumi Toshiaki
Hukushima Natsuko
Ichijo Miyuki
Ichimura Misako
Ide Kenji
Idetsu Kyoko
Igeta Hiroko
IIYAMA Yuki
Ikezaki Takuya
Ikuyo Yamamoto
Inoue Akihiko
Inoue Fumio
Irie Maki
Ishida Yoshiyuki
Ishikawa Takuma
Isihara Nen
Ito Ruri
Ito Tari
Iwaki Kyoko
Jason Waite
Jinushi Maiko
Kamimura Megumi
Kanai Shoko
Kaneta Tsutomu
Kaneta Tsutomu
Kano Ai
Katarina Zdjelar (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Kira Tomoko
Kitahara Megumi
Kim-Eun-sung ("After the 'Freedom of Expression?'")
Kim-Seo-kyung ("After the 'Freedom of Expression?'")
Koizumi Meiro ("After the 'Freedom of Expression?'")
Kokatsu Reiko
KUNIMATSU Rika
Kushi Kaoru
Kyun-Chome
Leung Chi Wo + Sara Wong (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Ma Ran
Machimura Haruka
Matake Makiko
Matsushita Seiko
Matsuzaki Yuko
Mika Eglinton
Minkyung Choi
Miriam Cahn (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Miyakawa Tomohiro
Miyakoshi Satoko
MIZUNO Ryoko
MIZUNO Ryoko
MOMOSE Aya
Monica Mayer
Mori Yoshitaka
Moto Hidenori
Motoyama Hisako
Murai Noriko
Nagakura Yukiko
Nagata Kouzou ("After the 'Freedom of Expression?'")
Nakamura Hiroko
Nakamura Kyoko
Nakao Hanae
Nihonbijyutukai
Nina Horisaki-Christens
Womens Action Network
Nito Kento
Ogawa Nozomu
Ogawa Tomoko
Ogura Toshimaru
Ohashi Ai ("After the 'Freedom of Expression?'")
Okamoto Yuka ("After the 'Freedom of Expression?'")
Oku Masayuki
Ookubo Ari
Osaka Koichiro
Otake Keiko
Ozaki Midori
Pangrok Sulap (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Park Chan-kyong (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Rachi Akira
Ray Thoma
Regina José Galindo (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Sadaaki Iwasaki
Sakamoto Natsumi
sakurai keisuke
Sato Maiko
Sayaki Oguri
Shimada Yoshiko (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Shimbo Kiyono
Shinichi Takashima
Shinohara Kumiko
Shirai Mio
Shirakawa Yoshio ("After the 'Freedom of Expression?'")
Shu Taguchi
Stuart Ringholt (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Sumitomo Fumihiko
Tachibana Hiroshi
Takeya Daisuke
Taki Asako
Tan Ru Yi
Tanaka Koki (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Tanaka Natsuko
Tania Pérez Córdova (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
TANIZAWA Sawako
Tanokura Kouichi
Teppei Higuchi
Toda Teiichi
Tsuchiya Seiichi
Tsuda Michiko (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
TSUGA MEGUMI
Usui Yui (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
URA Ayaka
Utamura Hanae
Watabuki Nobuko
Watanabe Eri
Yabumae Tomoko
Yamamoto Seiko
Yokochi Sawako
Yoshigai Nao
Yoshiki Marie
Yoshimoto Midori
Yumi Song
Aisuke Kondo
Akira Takaishi
Ayumi Seki
HITOMI TOMIDA
Mizuki Takahashi
Kohei Takahashi
Tomomi Goto
Hatsuki Masato
Gonoi Ikuo
Kamiya Michiko
shinya kigure
Ayako Nagata
Takehisa Yuu
Hata Ryoko
Michio Hayashi
Hosaka Takeshi
MisatoShimura
ai isogai
Haji Oh
Noriko Takeda
Koichi Nishiyama
takedashota
Junya Sato
Yuko Nakamura
Nakamura Yuko
ISHII Yoshiko
Tomita Sayo
TOYOSHIMA Yasuko
KEN Sasaki
Sunairi Hiroshi
kawahara takuya
Hiroaki Yoshida
Miyazawa Miho
Keita Kawakami
Chong Ri Ae
Lisa Someda
AOYAMA MIKI
Konishi, Ikue
Okada Michi
KoshimaYukiko
Yasuko WATANABE
ISHIKURA TOSHIAKI
Taisuke Shimanuki
Ayako Kawahara
YAMADA Kango
Shimizu Tomoko
AOKI SHOKO
Shirakawa Non
Fuji, Hroshi
Akira the Hustler
Jin Murata
Nobuhiro Fukui
nobuko masahara
Koji Fukada
AKIMATSU NOBUO
ohara yuko
YUKI YAMASHITA
Yabuuchi Misako
Ohtsuki Hideyo
Yoshihiro Kanatani
Ichihara Kentaro
Maaya Miki
Atsushi Watanabe
Shirayama Yuko
Shimizu Shouko
Souya Handa
Yoko Kawamura
Shunsuke Imai
Toshiko Nomura
Tanno Seiko
Tomoki Sakuta
Araki Yu
SHOZI SADAMU
Shimizu Kanae
Kinoshita Reiko
Minouk Lim (Artist, Aichi Triennial 2019)
Mari Fukutome
Yoshizawa Yayoi
Kazuhiko Yoshizaki
Sato Yui
cholilin
kanahara yudai
Yuko Sakakiyama
Rika Nakashima
NARITA Shumei
minako mitsunaga
NAKAMURA KEIICHI
takeyama machiko
Hasegawa Yuki
bottle collective
Fujinuma Teruyoshi
JongYuGyong
HIROKI KOHASHI
Hasegawa Arata
SAIGOH, Akira
Yumiko Endo
TAKAKO SHINODA
KOIZUMI Aya
Miho Laurenson
SAWAKO IMAZU
Ishiguro Noriko
hwayoung kang
Akira Azami
Fukuda Yuko
song yuka
Reiko Yamada
Kawaura Yasuyuki
jun miyagi
Andy
Ko Watari
MIYAGI Harumi
Kanai Kenji
Miran Sakamoto
Atsushi Funahashi
YAMAMOTO KARERA
TAKAGI yukimasa
Chishio Tsukimoto
kinoshita fuminari
Keiko Miyahara
JUNKO KAGAMI
Sunaga Akiko
Aya Masui
Keiko Nishimura
iguchi daisuke
SAKICHI TORII
Kota Sasaki
FURUYAMA KOUZOU
kuwabara taku
kohei takahashi
motoi murabayashi
YUYA ITO
Takashi Takarada
Nagomi IRIE
Sumiko Ohashi
Chiaki Noji
Tamura Takehiko
Yuki Okumura
Rie Imaoka
IGETA MIDORI
Haruna Sato
Seri Takishima
Nagao Nozomi
MIWA KOZAKI
Kunimitsu Moriya
Matsuda Mizuki
Noriyuki Sato
KURIHARA SHIMA
watanabe kota
Maiko Suzuki
Miyajima Toru
Moriyama Chisato
ayaane
Reuben Keehan
Kentaro Ichihara
Edisabel Marrero Tejeda
Anahita Razmi
Theresa Deichert
Nayelli Jacques Pena
William Marotti
Emily Wakeling
Shinobu Akimoto
Machiko Eto
Adrian Favell
Yasuaki YAMAGUCHI
Kyongfa Che
Manami Totsuka
Toshima Takayuki
shimizu yukio
Toshio Watanabe
Aoi Fujiwara
Tsutomu Aihra
AYAKO ISHII
Hiroshi Sunairi
CHIKAYO UEDA
Tatsuo YABE
Kitamura Megumi
seigo aoki
Keiichi nakazawa
Hideki Aoyama
OHIGASHI SAYA
OZAKI, Kyoichi
Fumiko Kobayashi
Hiroko Kato
sekosyuzi
Yamaoka Ryusei
sasakiten
ueno atusi
Ai Ogawa
Toyomi Kidokoro
Chikara HIGA
Nomoto Natsutoshi
Kouhei Shiokawa
Ko Younghwa
Akira Matsumoto
Kato Akiko
KUMAGAI SHUJI
Ohnuma Shoko
minoru inayoshi
nitehiworks
Hirofumi Sakamoto
Ryo Arakaki
NARUSE RIKAKO
ogai hiroko
Osamu Okabe
Kenji YAMADA
tanaka nobumasa
YAMAZAKI MITUNORI
Kawaguchi Tomomi
Shinobu Akimoto
Miku Miyakawa
akio hori
Kenji YAMADA
Towa OKA
yoshida yayoi
Kumiko Isohata
Shakudo Chikako
YUKO ASAKURA
Mannequin Flash Mob ("After the 'Freedom of Expression?'")
Asami Kinoshita
Daisuke AWATA
Kazuha Katayama
emiko kasahara
ＷＡＴＡＮＡＢＥ ＲＥＩＫＯ
Fuyuki Yamakawa
Mutsumi Urano
Ikawa Junko
Kenichi Komura
MAKI SAITO
Naoto Yasuda
Tetsuro Sakurai
Yuko IIDA
Narukawa Tamao
ERIKO SHIBATA
TAKASHI MUTO
Yumiko Ishihara
Chie Sumiyoshi
sakaguchi tomoaki
Rao Araki
Shino Arata
sakata nobuko
Fujita Rin
HISAMI TAKESAWA
Sayuri Shinano
Jun Asano
Nonogaki Mami
Yasunori Matsumoto
AKIKO TSUJIMOTO
Takashi Arai
Reiko Tomii
Soyeong Bak
Víctor Lerma
Daniel Arrhakis
Tamao Narukawa
Heidi Simons
Keith Whittle
yajimakiko
Tomoko Miyoshi
yoshinonagako
chihiro yamamoto
Haruka Yamamoto
Hiroko Enomoto
Hirofumi Nakamoto
Tange kouki
Miyuki Yoshida
nahoko yokoyama
Shota Tsai Ogawa
Shuta Iizuka
Mai Inaba
Iguchi daisuke
Akiko Komori
Ito Aya
Makiko Nakano
Nakamoto Naoko
YOSHIZAWA Fumitoshi
Keiko Hira
Kim manri
Haruka Shibata
Sei Tatsumi
Utako Shindo
takeuchi aya
Tominaga Goso
gaymakimaki
TAKEKAWA NOBUAKI
Masako Tanaka
Ohno Akira
YO KATAMI
kimiyo Okonogi
Fumiko Oosaki
yui hasegawa
ATS
HAYAO Takanori
Yuichi Higuch
BuBu de la Madeleine
Fumiko Kikuchi
yamadatomomi
Tsuji Kaai
Chihara Koh
Kawaida Masaki
Fusato Seika
tounai saki
Chitose KATAOKA
Yudai Osawa
Kaoru Kumagai
super KIKI
Yui Nagashrma
makiko IWAMOTO
kii tsunome
MIKI SUZUKI
ANDO YUKIHIRO
Odawara Mio
Okuda Kakeru
SHOJI SAORI
Asada Haruka
SUZUKI KOZUE
kushida yasuko
Tezuka Sora
Miki Yuzuru
Akane Ikeda
Chikako Morishita
Tomoko Shimizu
aki kaneko
KAMATA MICHIKO
William Andrews
TOMOKO OHNO
Takagi Seiichi
Yuichi Higuch
UGATA Naoto
zon ito
Ed Carroll & Vita Geluniene
makoto gotoh
Yuri Miauchi
Asuka Miyata
Fukunishi Kazuyo
RyokoAoki
Wataru Koyama
Lucie Vítková
Anuradha Vikram
Clelia Zernik
Yuka Nakao
NISHIMURA SUMIKO
K.I Sound Studio
Sawako Nezu
iwanakamihoko
Isaji Keiko
Akiko Tsutsumi
Chandler Sterling
nishiguchi yoko
IKEMOTO Momo
Chusato Kurokawa
Izuru Mizutani
masuda mina
Ishitani Haruhiro
Ahki Kim
SHINKO IMIG
OYAGI Natsuki
Miyaki Inukai
Tsuchiya Hiroko
Saito Reiji
Kato Katsuhisa
Mifuyu Motoyamasaki
Hosokai Yui
t.ayumi
Goto Misaki
SOICHIRO HIRAMATSU
HAYANO TETSU
Hattori Momoko
Hinako Saito
Momoko Shiraga
Saito Shunki
HIGUCHI, Setsuko
AsamiHaraguchi
BABA NATSUKI
Matsumoto Yoshihiro
MIKA MIZUTANI
NAGAKUA YUKO
Risa Sumizaki
Yasuna Ito
Nakase Aya
Shimizu Sayaka
Osaki Yuuka
Sorachi Tampo
Kusatani Yoshiko
Atsunari Sugano
Nobuyuki Takahashi
Yamaguchi Atsuko
Shimizu yuko
Nakaoka Yuko
isobe tayumi
KOYA ISHIZUKA
ueno fumio
Kim koshin
ODA yoko
Yuko Tamagawa
Yasuaki YAMAGUCHI
Makoto Takeuchi
Kanako Sanada
Ohmatsu naoko
WatanabeHiroshi
Aoki Noe
Shingo Sakai
KEIKO FUJIKAWA
masahisa wakiya
Hiroko Seki Arahari
Marika Niko