Panel one - curated by ASATSUMA Yukari

Curator comment by ASATSUMA Yukari about “3/11” by OTA Nana.

The word "inversion" means reversal in Japanese, but it can also mean opposite, a turnabout, reflection, anastrophe, or perversion. It can also be taken as a breakaway from the current situation, progress, or a leap forward. This theme seems to be linked to the situation in which we, who have been restricted in all our activities due to the COVID pandemic, were able to jump over the boundary line and visit this place with the works of Japanese artists.

A woman-like figure wears a large number of masks on her head. What catches the eye are the masks and the tinted lips. The emotion in her covered eyes may be anger, sadness, or pain, but the facial expression and the violent splashes in the background suggest that it is not joy. The gray faded world suggests that what she is trying to convey is probably a release from the confines, a breakaway from the status quo, and a reversal of the status quo. What do you feel from this work, and what do you think of when you see the words "3/11"? The strong message she shouts in her small artwork grabs our hearts.

Curator comment by ASATSUMA Yukari about “Material Inversion” by Jodie FOSTER.

Previously, I considered ‘inversion’ as a kind of reversal or departure from the current situation, progress, or a leap forward, a change in things we cannot see. In addition, elements that make up an object can also be inverted. Color contrasts, changes in vertical and horizontal position, mirror reflections, and material changes. This is what the artist has done in “Material Inversion”.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you see this work? The first thing that catches your eye is the material in the front. Material used for straw hats, raffia, and wool yarn are woven together to create a unique presence. This is a photographic work in which the knitted fabric made of these different materials is superimposed on a picture drawn with oil pastels. Although the material used is stiff, it seems to be a living, breathing organism, perhaps because it is derived from plants, or because it is woven by the artist's hands. The oil pastel drawing in the background, like the knitting, uses orange and blue, which are complementary and completely different hues. I wonder whether the mixture of different things will lead to either a fusion or a separation.