Lemonism X Japonism
Akemi Takeya
2020
Artist Statement
LEMONISM was realized as a rhizomatic performance series and installation. I confront the historical currents (-isms) in a body investigation, which is set up a battle between two concepts. It focuses on the body as material of “the I” including 72 items, which aims to reconstruct the way of definition of the body. I consider LEMONISM x JAPONISM as my most intimate contribution to my series of LEMONISM, where I confront the art form that brought together two geographical, political and artistic worlds. My point of reference is Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait of Père Tanguy who is dressed in a Breton costume and placed in front of Japanese prints. In cooperation with visual artist, film director and dramaturge Naoto Iina, I provide a contemporary response to van Gogh: a kind of parody on a self-portrait that combines eastern and western influences and confronts inner and outer worlds.
In confronting the duality of my existence between cultures I’m meeting the western way of looking at Japanese art and culture. Once I’ve forced myself to intervene Japanese aesthetics into my work, now I focus on reflecting my current inner view and thought. This creates a flickering between traditional forms and western imports, between familiar and foreign, between adaptation and rebellion. My vision for Japan in the future is to suggest a new perspective in a unique fusion, in which I try to break down identities and gender constructions between Japan and Europe, to explore their differences, combinations and entanglements.
Artist Bio
As a performing artist I worked with artists from the fields of dance, theater, film / video, photography and music. I have performed in numerous dance, video and performance pieces in collaboration with artists such as Wolfgang Mitterer, Christian Fennesz, Granular Synthesis, Rechenzentrum etc. Likewise, I produced my own works such as “Feeler”, “ZZremix”, “Bodypoem”, “Little Stories about S.O.S.” and published my own Recipe Book. In my recent project, LEMONISM performance series & Installation, I explored various avant-garde movements of the 20th century, creating a connection between visual art and dance.