Aichi Triennale 2019

After proceeding along a narrow corridor through cabinets and other pieces of furniture piled up in the storehouse, and stepping from the dirt floor up to the next level, a scenery that is entirely covered with the blackish color of charcoal stretches in front of the visitor's eyes. The Shikemichi area, the name of which originates from a 7-meter-wide road that was built here for fire prevention purposes, is particularly characterized by the historical fact that every house has its own "godown" outbuilding that prevents fire from spreading. When identifying the corridor that the visitor walks through the exhibition space with the nearby Hori River, one understands that the entire layout is based on a map of the area.
The use of charcoal refers to the fact that the Ito Residence, the venue of this exhibition, originally belonged to a merchant who dealt with charcoal. With such items as the stone wall at Nagoya Castle, and the Senju-ji Temple's Sanmon gate, which escaped the flames of World War II, lined up at the venue, the black scenery begins to look like the cityscape of Nagoya after the air raids, but one recognizes at once also constructions that were built after the war, such as the television Tower and the arcades of the Endoji shopping district.
Coming from Hiroshima, the artist suggests that the present state of things may not only be referred to as "postwar," but in fact also as "prewar." In this exhibition it is certainly also possible to read from the exhibits the time that reflects both the past and the future.