Ichihara Etsuko’s work examines Japanese culture, customs, and beliefs with fresh and unique perspectives, presenting new ideas through the fusion of art and technology. Her project as a CCBT artist fellow is Dystopia Land. We live in chaotic times but instead of optimistic visions, we need a dogged determination to survive no matter what hopeless situations lie on the horizon. Starting from this hypothesis, Ichihara’s project focuses on the paradoxical positivity inherent in the act of predicting and envisaging the dystopia that awaits. By building together a vision of the future that blends fact and fiction, it aspires to make us resilient to the uncertainty we face and the various problems that confront contemporary society.
The exhibition showcases a bizarre and fantastical world, featuring a promotional video for a religious group that worships a goat that is the result of mutation, a robot that dances and sings folk songs written by people who’ve overcome great hardships, and creatures the likes of which you have never seen before. Through this alternative, dystopian Japan, Ichihara presents not simply the folly of humankind but also the tenacity with which we overcame past disasters and difficulties, in the process creating a place for thinking about better futures. Will technological progress give us a world that is a utopia or dystopia? Prepare for the challenges ahead and find the means to survive this dystopian age together!
CCBT Art Incubation Program
One of CCBT’s core programs, the Art Incubation Program provides opportunities for creative talent to undertake new projects and makes those processes accessible to the public, facilitating forms of artistic expression, exploration, and action that change our city for the better. Selected through an open call, five artist fellows will act as CCBT partners, developing their projects, making the creative process public, exhibiting the results, and holding workshops and talks.
Details: CCBT Art Incubation Program
