Kodama Kanazawa

My interest lies in re-reading contemporary art from Japan and around the world using a perspective that connects Asian modernisation history to the current period of globalisation.

I originally read Japanese literature from the seventh century to the present. Through this study, I discussed the first wave of Western culture in Japan and the fluctuation of cultural identity due to such change. For my MA, I studied art history and theory. In particular, I explored the history of art education, which enabled me to access people’s inner struggle regarding Western cultural values. For my master’s thesis, I specialised in Japanese manga, which has developed as a vernacular culture. In my doctoral course, I furthered the research of manga, in relation to education, which traced cultural imperialism in the post-war period. This interest continues to the present and resulted in my research and project in London focused on post-war, post-colonialism and globalisation.

During my time as an assistant curator at the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, I joined the curatorial team for almost all exhibitions. At the Kawasaki City Museum, I worked as the curator of the manga section, curated shows on manga and conducted acquisitions. Through my work in both museums, I not only furthered my specialty, but also experienced numerous collaborations between different fields such as moving image, new media arts, photography and contemporary art.

I have also worked as an advisor or a guest-curator for several exhibitions outside of Japan. Since 2013, I became an independent curator while reading for an MA in Curating Contemporary Art (RCA), where my research focused on curating in the globalisation age. For my second master’s thesis, I wrote about the internationally renowned curator Hou Hanru, discussing his curatorial theory with visions of post-colonialism and globalisation. From this, I have developed a perspective on how cultures relate and intend to reflect on international relations in my curating in the UK, Japan and China.

Yuichi Yokoyama: Wandering Through Maps (Exhibition website)

Independent Project curated by Kodama Kanazawa

Pavillon Blanc, Colomiers, France, 27 September –20 December, 2014

This was the first solo exhibition in Europe of Yuichi Yokoyama at The Art Centre of Colomiers. The exhibition aimed to bring two fields together, contemporary art and comics by inviting the world-renowned Japanese artist Yuichi Yokoyama, who has been working on his lifelong theme “depicting time”. Using the fabric covers for his light-sensitive drawings, the show appeared as a wonderland to explore Yokoyama’s art world with different materials, such as wall painting, acrylic painting, collages, original drawing of comic book and moving image.

Chu Enoki: Enoki Chu (Exhibition website)

(Independent Project)

Curated by Kodama Kanazawa

White Rainbow, London, UK, 11 February –11 April, 2015

Chu Enoki (b.1944) is a seminal figure in contemporary Japanese art. This show, his first solo exhibition in Europe, displayed a performance piece of the 1970s in photography and film, and the later sculptural works made with deactivated guns and cannons, which implied the societal upheavals of post-war Japan.

Whose Game Is It? (Exhibition website)

(Graduation Project)

Curated by Kodama Kanazawa, Jennifer K.Y. Lam, Hena Lee and Yingting Xie

RCA, London, UK, 6 –22 March, 2015

Whose Game is it? is an exhibition that considers contemporary socio-political questions in a globalised world of disparities and hegemonies. The exhibition asks audiences to reflect on these issues through playful and interactive works including a doughnut-shaped table-tennis table. Artists include: Dan Perjovschi, Lia Perjovschi, Tintin Wulia, Lee Wen, Han Ishu and Raqs Media Collective.