From Picasso to Kandinsky, Mondrian, Klee, Duchamp, and countless others, so many artists have left their homes for foreign parts that the history of modern art could be described as that of migration and exile. Migrant identity has long been an indispensable viewpoint within art discourse. In the case of Japan, the works of artists like Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita and Yasuo Kuniyoshi were profoundly influenced by their status as immigrants. In these turbulent times, with existing systems and institutions no longer fit for purpose, cross-national relationship dynamics and structures in flux, and the disruption of values and boundaries of all kinds, perhaps we are all potential migrants who have lost our safe place, our place to call home. This symposium will discuss how artists’ ideas and the style of their works are influenced by moving around, and the nature of migrant characteristics in an art context, with a focus on the artists exhibiting at this Domani.

Organized by Sawayama Ryo (OSP: art criticism, 2021, one year, New York, USA)
Panelists: Ogawa Nozomi (OSP: art management, one-year, Vienna, Austria), Ikezaki Takuya (Domani 2022-23 exhibiting artists)