Kyun-Chome's Political Art Emerges Post-Fukushima, Wins 2015 Okamoto Taro Memorial Award

The Japanese duo Kyun-Chome, formed by Eri Homma and Nabuchi after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, exemplifies a shift toward political art in Japan's post-Fukushima era. Their practice blends radical actions with poetic sensibility, addressing issues like Fukushima, suicide, the Emperor of Japan, and IS, while maintaining an introspective approach. Nabuchi, described as a hardcore manga maniac and otaku, bridges otaku culture with political engagement, representing reality humorously. Notable works include Flower xx (2012), where audiences step on a flower bed to enter an exhibition, and Rhythm of Survive (2015), involving a rope previously used in a suicide for public jump-roping, highlighting unnoticed harm. In 2015, they gained prominence by winning the 17th Okamoto Taro Memorial Award for Contemporary Art, a major Japanese art prize. That same year, they exhibited at The Jam Factory in Bangkok and the Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum in Tokyo. Their work contrasts with internet-driven conservatism among youth, offering a critical opposition. The duo, based in Tokyo, started collaborating in 2011 and continues to produce output of interest in a society marked by social monitoring and depression. This profile was originally published in ArtReview's January & February 2016 issue, selected by Ushiro Ryuta.