From left: Curators Julian Akira Ross, Ann Adachi-Tasch and Go Hirasawa (Photo: Courtesy of Rob Buscher)
The special exhibition opens in Philadelphia amid the sudden closure of University of the Arts.
By Rob Buscher,Contributor
A special exhibition opened on June 14 at the Philadelphia Art Alliance titled “Community of Images: Japanese Moving Image Artists in the U.S., 1960s-1970s.” Co-sponsored by Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia and Philadelphia-based digital archive Collaborative Cataloging Japan, the exhibit is the culmination of a two-year project funded by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
“Liquid Projector” by Ko Nakajima 1969 recreated in 2024 for the exhibit (Photo: Courtesy of Rob Buscher)
This groundbreaking exhibition explores experimental moving images created by Japanese artists and their connections to North America. Covering a wide range of practices and themes including avant-garde film, performance, design and healing, ecology, expanded cinema, independent documentary, music, race, feminism, video art, community-based video, technology and communication and others — this thought-provoking exhibition highlights pieces produced by Japanese artists working in the U.S. during one of its most turbulent times of social upheaval.
“Friends of Minamata Victims” video diary by Fujiko Nakaya, 1972 (Photo: Courtesy of Rob Buscher)
“It was a moment when different art forms were coming together,” said Co-Curator Julian Akira Ross. “A younger generation of artists were emerging and collaborating with one another and looking for different ways of exploring their artistic disciplines. This was also a time when arts and politics were more overtly coming together. So, you see a lot of filmmakers who are also activists documenting protests and featuring that in film.”
Curators Ross, who is based out of Amsterdam, Tokyo-based Go Hirasawa and Ann Adachi-Tasch are all of Japanese ancestry and came together through their mutual appreciation of moving image art. The three converged in Philadelphia for the exhibit’s opening reception on June 14 that was followed by a weekend of panel discussions, film screenings and a one-day symposium at University of Pennsylvania that was co-sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies and Asian American Studies Program.
Participants included Fluxus artist Yasunao Tone, curators Barbara London (Museum of Modern Art) and Suzanne Delahanty (Institute of Contemporary Art), Rebecca Cleman (Electronic Arts Intermix) and representatives of the Shigeko Kubota Video Art Foundation.
The lead organization that curated this exhibit, Collaborative Cataloging Japan, is an international, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, documenting and disseminating the legacy of Japanese experimental moving images made in 1950s-’80s in order to enable their appreciation by a wider audience. The focus of their preservation efforts includes fine art on film and video, documentations of performance, independently produced documentaries, experimental animation and experimental television.
Rob Buscher (left) with curators Julian Akira Ross and Ann Adachi-Tasch (Photo: Courtesy of Rob Buscher)
“With the mission of preserving Japanese avant-garde moving image works, my colleagues and I have been steadily researching collections and establishing relationships with artists and organizations to save historically important films and video, sometimes one title at a time,” said Adachi-Tasch. “What we are presenting at the Philadelphia Art Alliance is the culmination of years of hands-on field work. We will continue this work no matter the outcome of our exhibition, but we hope that the stories of these Japanese artists, which shed light on uncommon and unexpected understandings of these shared histories, can be accessed by a wider audience.”
In addition to the exhibit taking place at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, a series of events and community programs will highlight Philadelphia-based artists and media-making organizations. Events include a youth media workshop presented in partnership with public access station PhillyCAM, an outdoor film screening at Bartram’s Garden co-presented by cineSPEAK, artist talks with contemporary immigrant artists at Fleisher Art Memorial and Twelve Gates Arts and the temporary construction of a geodesic dome on the Oval near the Philadelphia Museum of Art during the first week of August.
Japanese Translation of Michael Shamberg’s “Guerilla Television” by Video Hiroba, 1974 (Photo: Courtesy of Rob Buscher)
On May 31, the University of the Arts, leaseholder of the Philadelphia Art Alliance and a primary presenting partner for “Community of Images,” abruptly announced the university’s closure just one week before its final day of operation on June 7. Not only did its former staff have to find out through the news that they had lost their jobs, but also the closure has had a ripple effect on the entire Philadelphia creative community, including this incredible show, jeopardizing the years of work that led to this point.
While the exhibit was allowed to open as planned, the now-defunct UArts is unable to cover the gallery staffing costs that were originally included as in-kind contributions to the project budget. As a result, CCJ is currently raising money to finance the unexpected costs related to keeping the exhibition opening, including possible staff hires for the gallery building (security, housekeeping, gallery attendant, etc.). As of press time, their crowdfunding campaign has raised almost a quarter of its current goal of $8,000 that will enable the exhibition to remain open through the scheduled closing date of Aug. 9.
While the plan for the exhibition and related programs is uncertain, the team is doing everything it can to ensure that people are able to experience these incredible works. For now, the show will proceed as planned and should be on view during the JACL National Convention, which is set to take place in Philadelphia from July 10-14.
For the latest updates, please refer to the exhibition website at www.collabjapan.org/community-of-images. Donations can be made to the crowdfunding campaign at www.gofundme.com/f/emergency-fund-save-philadelphia-exhibition.
The exhibition at the Philadelphia Art Alliance is located at:
251 S. 18th St. in Philadelphia
Open through Aug. 9
Hours: Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, Noon-5 p.m.
“Floating Theater” by Yukihisa Isobe 1969 recreated in 2024 for the exhibit (Photo: Courtesy of Rob Buscher)
