Roppongi Crossing 2016 Explores Body, Voice, and Invisible Identity

The 2016 edition of Roppongi Crossing, Tokyo's contemporary art triennial at the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills, is titled "My Body, Your Voice" and runs until July 10, 2016. Curated by four curators from Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, the exhibition features twenty artists, many of whom are outsiders to mainstream Japanese society—including those from remote islands, mixed-race individuals, expatriates, and foreigners. The show interrogates identity through the lens of body and voice in an age of disembodied communication. Key works include Daisuke Yamashiro's "Talking Lights," which uses ash from Tohoku earthquake victims; Ryuichi Ishikawa's "Okinawan Portraits" (2010–2012); Mari Katayama's dolls; Tomona Matsukawa's paintings; Sasa Shun's flag made from kimono fabrics; Hiraku Fujii's video on Korean torture under Japanese rule; Jun Yang's "The Age of Guilt and Forgiveness" referencing Hiroshima; and Erika Kobayashi's video-installation "Sunrise" stating "Time, memories and radiation are invisible." The triennial addresses historical trauma, including nuclear bombs and Fukushima, and evokes the Obon festival of ancestral spirits. The exhibition is curated by four curators from Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, marking a diplomatic gesture given Japan's strained relations with these countries.