Long March Lecture in Fukuoka

Fukuoka Asian Art Museum Director Yasunaga Koichi introduces the Long March

Hong Boram's work requires viewer participation

Ma Liuming's work realized on-site

Artist Cang Xin licks a set of Long March Postcards

Fukuoka Asian Art Museum

Long March Lecture

Lu Jie introduces the Long March

Site of Long March Lecture

Site of Long March Lecture

Long March Drawing on the work of Korean artist Homg Boram

Performance work by Long March artist Ma Liuming at Fukuoka Asian Art Museum

Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka
P3 Art & Environment, Tochoji Temple, Tokyo

The Long March daringly advanced to Japan past month by realizing two presentations in Fukuoka and Tokyo. The two presentations were arranged and hosted by the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum and P3 Art and Environment, Tokyo, respectively, delivered by Chief Curator Lu Jie and assisted and translated by former Director of International Affairs/Curatorial Assistant, Lisa Horikawa.

The two presentations took a contrasting approach. In Fukuoka, the Long March was introduced through a screening of a 40-minute documentary on Jinggangshan, Jiangxi province (Number 2 of the 12 completed sites), and in-depth accounts of several selected events from the road. Such a focused approach was especially chosen to accommodate to a diverse audience, which consisted mainly of the museum's long list of registered volunteers, students, critics, curators and artists.

In contrast, at P3 headquarters' space in Tochoji Zen Temple in Yotsuya, Tokyo, an all-comprehensive view of the Long March was shared with an audience through a 20-minute documentary on Maotai and a site-by-site Power Point account of the project's work in July and August, 2002. More than sixty people attended the presentation. The attendants consisted primarily of artists, art activists, critics and curators, many of whom are key individuals in coloring the Tokyo art scene.

As a project that boasts myriad layers, both of these presentations exceeded the scheduled time frame, lasting three hours in the case of Tokyo. Despite this fact, majority of the listeners stayed on patiently and participated actively in the following Q&A session at both venues. Numerous questions were raised by the audience, poignantly touching upon issues such as the relationship between artists, organizers and the public, its curatorial strategy, and the structural bones of the Long March spirit and methodology.

The fact that the Long March had a chance to work together with these two unique institutions in Japan held a special significance. The Fukuoka Asian Art Museum is the first museum in the world established exclusively to focus on modern and contemporary art from Asia. Taking a full advantage of experiences built over the last two decades, the museum has played a key role in facilitating cross-cultural dialogue on "Asian Art" while building an extensive collection and an unparalleled archive. P3 Art and Environment is "a research and production institute committed to projects relating to art and the environment." Its innovative and organic approach extends beyond various conceived boundaries, as exemplified by last year's Demeter outdoor exhibition in Hokkaido (participating artists included Yoko Ono, Ingo Gunther, Cai Guo-Qiang, Kawamata Tadashi) met with international acclaim. The advancement of the Long March to Japan was its first face-to-face encounter with an audience situated elsewhere in Asia. Great expectations lie ahead in terms of realizing participation of Japanes artists in the Long March and collaborating with various projects in Japan.

Long March Lecture in Tokyo

Long March Lecture at Tochoji Temple

Long March Lecture at Tochoji Temple

Site of Long March Lecture

From left: P3 director Takashi Serizawa, Lu Jie, Lisa Horikawa

Links:
The Fukuoka Asian Art Museum: http://faam.city.fukuoka.jp/
P3 Art and Environment: http://www.p3.org/

back