MOT annual 2005 Life actually

From the 1990s through the present, conditions for women in Japan have worsened in many ways. Although the Equal Opportunity Employment Law was established in 1986, a glass ceiling still exists in the business world. Even if a woman works as hard as a man to build a career, she cannot expect the same future. Life continues to be difficult for the superwoman who tries to combine work, marriage, and raising children. That is why there is an ongoing rise in the age of marriage, the number of women not marrying, and the divorce rate. However, even for those who seem to be fulfilling the traditional role of a woman in the family, this role is no longer as rigid as it once was. A woman who can decide for herself whether, and when, to get married, whether to stay single, whether to continue working, whether to have children, or whether to get a divorce. Contemporary Japanese women are finding sensible ways of surviving the challenges they face today.

Many artists have produced work that reflects this current situation, based on a reexamination of their relationship with themselves and the people and situations in their environment. Great changes are underway in many areas that affect women, such as the modern family system, employment, community involvement, human relationships, and views of history. Women artists are reexamining features of everyday life around them from their own point of view while questioning ideas that were once regarded as "common sense" and overlooked until now. They are investigating and rebuilding the society they live in, the history that has formed them, and the world that surrounds them. Their creative acts are based on a capacity for eｍpathy with the world as they deal with their everyday life and immediate surroundings. Their art, like life, overflows with "love and solitude, and laughter."

In today's Japan, existing systems are breaking down and dark clouds are gathering on the horizon. That is why the sort of artistic expressions seen here are being produced and why they are so important. How can we continue striving without losing hope in the stifling atmosphere just for the artists but for all of us who live in the present age. The extraordinary works that have emerged from ordinary everyday life in "Love and Solitude, and Laughter" pose endless questions that all of us need to think about. That is the purpose of this exhibition.

Exhibition Title
MOT annual 2005 Life actually
Period
January 15 - March 21, 2005
Closed
Mondays (except March 21)
Opening Hours
10：00 - 18：00 (Tickets available until 17:30)
Venue
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT) Exhibition Galleries 1F & B2F
Organized by
Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Supported by
Asahi Shimbun Foudation / Asahi Beer Arts Foundation
Sponsored by
Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. / Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. / Nikon Corporation / The Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance Company
With the assistance of
All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. / Epson Sales Japan Corporation / Asahi Breweries, Ltd.

Artists

Leiko IKEMURA
Mako IDEMITSU
Hiroko ICHIHARA
Hiroko OKADA
Yuki ONODERA
Tomoko KONOIKE
Tomoko SAWADA
Yoshiko SHIMADA
Akiko MIZOGUCHI O.I.C
Nobuko WATABIKI