〈結い、You-I〉YUKEN TERUYA STUDIO

Artist talk

Monday 10 October 2022
6:00pm – 7:00pm

Artist Talk: Yuken Teruya in conversation with Jonathan Watkins

Drinks reception: 7:00pm – 8:00pm

13/14 Cornwall Terrace, Outer Circle (entrance facing Regent's Park), London NW1 4QP

Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

In this talk, Yuken Teruya discussed his recent artworks and his upcoming exhibition La Mer at the Daiwa Foundation, together with Jonathan Watkins, Director of the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham.

Yuken Teruya is one of the most prolific Okinawan artists of his generation. His work is known for using humble objects – cardboard, paper bags, newspapers, board games, balloons – in ways that echo Okinawa’s historical narrative. It explores the ongoing psychological and political impact of power relationships and their effects on the natural world. In doing so, it attempts to disentangle individual memories from dominant narratives, leading us to critical understandings of our current situation. His works have delved into today’s critical thinking and discourses on democracy, identity, the US military presence, war, violence and ongoing issues related to colonialism. His voice is unique in Japan, yet resonates with audiences beyond.

Teruya is fascinated by human perceptions of the ever-changing moment. For him, the modest practice of drawing is a mighty tool not only to observe hierarchies, but to rebalance them. Historically, painting was primarily a medium in the service of the powerful: oil paintings intended to assert authority through the generations. By contrast, Teruya’s work utilises temporary, fragile materials: his cut-out pieces can be described as expanded drawings, but also as delicate sculptures. Perhaps their vulnerability is not feeble, but a powerful statement of immediacy, adaptability and reconstruction.

The sea is a constant presence in the Okinawan landscape and a recurring theme in Teruya’s work. The exhibition La Mer encapsulates Teruya’s perspective: historic and present references to the Okinawan condition, ecological systems within material cultures, and power relationships between countries. Embedded structural power, institutional hierarchy under the colonial lens and the monopoly of knowledge become normalised in everyday life. Teruya’s practice recognises that this process of occupation and assimilation can also be a diversifying influence that suggests a new, open and heterogeneous notion of Japan: antagonistic, but with potential for cross-pollination of cultures and understandings.

Some of the selected works are dialogues with open questions, while others rethink or reframe hidden structures. Instead of aggravating the prevailing power, Teruya injects some humour, bringing in the wider context, often referring to Okinawan tradition. His work has the approachability of a gently told story, almost like a children’s book; yet behind this amiable delivery, the artist’s commentary on political truths is unflinching. As manifested in this exhibition, Teruya’s visual language reflects on issues sometimes overlooked amidst the tranquil vistas of Okinawa.

 

The drinks reception will feature cocktails made with Okinawan fruit juices, supported by KANASA.

 

 

 

 

About the contributors

Yuken Teruya

Yuken Teruya was Born in Okinawa, Japan in 1973. Teruya received BFA in oil painting from Tama Art University, Tokyo; MFA from the school of Visual Arts, New York in 2001. His work has been exhibited widely throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, including: WE BELONG HERE: Piero Atchugarry Gallery, Miami, FL (2020) The Handmade in the Technological Age, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica, CA (2019); 12th Shanghai Biennale 2018/2019, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, CN (2019); LOST FOUND, Live Forever Foundation, Taichung, Taiwan (2018); Piero Atchugarry Gallery at ArtBerlin 2018, Piero Atchugarry Gallery, Miami, FL (2018); Dessert Project, Gallery Okinawa, Okinawa, JP (2017); The Times, The Flag Art Foundation, New York, NY (2017); good news., amongst other. His works are included in collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Guggenheim, New York; Flag Art Foundation, New York; the Smithsonian American Art Museum Washington, D.C.; the Charles Saatchi Collection, London; 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan; the Mori Art Museum, Japan; Hoffman Collection, Berlin and the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin.

Jonathan Watkins

Jonathan Watkins has led Ikon for over 20 years, joining the gallery in 1999. Previously he worked for a number of years in London, as Curator of the Serpentine Gallery (1995-1997) and Director of Chisenhale Gallery (1990-1995).He has curated a number of large international exhibitions including the Biennale of Sydney (1998), Facts of Life: Contemporary Japanese Art (Hayward Gallery, London 2001), Quotidiana (Castello di Rivoli, Turin 1999, Tate Triennial (2003), Shanghai Biennale (2006), Sharjah Biennial (2007), Negotiations (Today Art Museum, Beijing 2010) and the Guangzhou Triennial (2012). He was on the curatorial team for Europarte (Venice Biennale, 1997), Milano Europa 2000, (Palazzo di Triennale, Milan 2000), and Riwaq (Palestinian Biennial 2007). He curated the Iraqi Pavilion for the Venice Biennale in 2013 and Floating World, Bahrain in 2017. In 2019 Watkins was the curator of Small Between the Stars, Large Against the Sky, the 9th Manif d’art Quebec City Biennial.

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