What did we feel when society was upended by the lockdown? In an uncertain world, we reflect on our small selves amidst the vast landscapes. Revisiting the reflections shaped during the COVID-19 pandemic, this self-organized exhibition—curated by Kanazawa Kodama—features works by Fang Wei (painting), UMA (performance), Chu Chu (installation), Tanigawa Mine (lacquer), and Yamaguchi Ryotaro (ceramics). An essay by the curator, Kanazawa Kodama, who was living in Shanghai at the time, was also on display.

From the Exhibition Text:

From April to May 2022, a strict lockdown was imposed in Shanghai, affecting both our family and the family of Fang Wei and UMA. Twenty-five million people were confined to their homes, all shops were closed, and transportation came to a standstill. Strict quarantine measures for infected individuals and their close contacts, as well as disinfection of living spaces, profoundly disrupted the daily lives of the city’s residents.

In the spring of 2023, Fang Wei and UMA moved with their children to Nara, while my husband and I relocated to Kyoto with our two cats around the same time. This exhibition began as a reflection on the relationship between individuals and society, as observed through the experiences of these two families. 

It is not gods or demons but we, humans, who shape politics and society. In our efforts to live well, we create various systems and agreements to guide our lives, consciously placing constraints upon ourselves. When these systems fail, the only option is to step back and reflect on our existence. Through this exhibition, I hope to place our lives within a broader context—one that includes nature and the long arc of time.

Du Fu’s poem “Gazing at Spring” comes to mind—a reflection on how, after war, the mountains and rivers remain unchanged, while the ruins of the capital are quietly filled with the gentle warmth of spring. This exhibition was designed as a kind of “shan-shui painting” (landscape painting) for this very reason. In addition to works by Fang Wei and UMA, I invited three artists I deeply admire—Tanigawa Mine, Yamaguchi Ryotaro, and Chu Chu. Their works, whether from a distance or up close, contemplate the natural environment that surrounds and sustains us.mplate the natural environment that surrounds and sustains us.

A section of this exhibition is also dedicated to “Gazing at Spring: A Diary,” my personal record of the Shanghai lockdown. As I wrote in its epilogue, I hope this exhibition allows visitors to think, even briefly, “So that’s what happened,” and reflect on the time they share with their loved ones—both people and other living beings.

Kanazawa Kodama (Curator)