Shitamichi Motoyuki (b. 1978)
Motoyuki Shitamichi shows us “shapes” that are present but escape our notice. In Remnants (2001–2005), he discovered, recorded, and introduced old defensive structures in Japan, including gun emplacements and fighter aircraft hangars that constitute part of the landscape but are used for different purposes such as barns. In his Re-Fort Project (2004–), he has given new functions to these war relics (which no longer function as they were originally designed) by using them as venues for kick-the-can games or fireworks events. Through these activities, Shitamichi connects the past with the present, and links missing memories with the remaining structures. There are some things that pass unnoticed in our daily lives and that we avoid looking at: Shitamachi makes us aware that they have melted into the landscape but remain as shapes.
The Torii series is a project that Shitamichi has been working on since 2006. He has visited and photographed torii that are located outside Japan’s current national border. Torii were built in the Northern Mariana Islands (a U.S. territory), Northeast China (former Manchuria), Taiwan, South Korea, and Sakhalin (a Russian territory). His works show that, after the war, their shapes and uses have been changed to suit the local cultures and lifestyles in respective countries. In Saipan, torii remain intact at cemeteries; those in South Korea have been destroyed and no longer exist. In Taichung City, a torii is laid on its side and used as a park bench. Torii, which represent a symbolic shape in Shintoism, have lost their significance as symbols but remain in shapes different from their original forms. In this way, Shitamichi focuses on how symbolic shapes can be transformed into non-symbolic objects.
Torii are also considered as barriers (borders) to distinguish the sacred from the secular. Indeed, Shitamichi’s torii project is synonymous with his discussions about borders. Torii located outside Japan’s national border look different depending on the historical view, political situation, and culture of respective countries. The difference is attributed not only to the regime and large events such as war, but also to the gradual change in people’s daily lives. As life continues, memories of large events gradually fade due to the accumulation of small events. The consecution of small events transforms the landscape before people realize it. The torii that Shitamichi focuses on in this series encompass the time series in terms of both large historical events and small personal events. He borrows the landscape to provide the audience with opportunities to contemplate upon the visible/invisible, existent/nonexistent borders. In general, the Japanese people are too sensitive or try to distance themselves from issues regarding the national border, territory, and state, because they are not accustomed to focusing on such issues. Shitamichi boldly takes up these issues and quietly upsets the concept of “Japan” or “the Japanese people.” His works reveal relative, fluid, and personal borders that are different from those created by political ideologies or historical objectivity.
Mihoko Nishikawa (curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)
Quoted from the catalog of MOT Annual 2012: Making Situations, Editing Landscapes (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo) (edited as necessary)
Source: http://m-shitamichi.com/torii