Yoshiko Shimada on Queering Imperialism and Chūpi-ren at 2026 Venice Biennale

Japanese feminist and antiwar artist Yoshiko Shimada, known for excavating gendered scars of Japanese imperialism, will be included in the 2026 Venice Biennale curated by Koyo Kouoh under the title "In Minor Keys." In an interview with ArtAsiaPacific, Shimada discusses her collaborative practice with BuBu de la Madeleine, their use of drag and humor to critique Japan's imperial history, and the revival of the 1970s radical feminist group Chūpi-ren (Women's Union for Liberalization of Abortion and Legalization of the Pill). Shimada argues that Japan's patriarchal system continues to control women's bodies, noting that emergency contraception was only legalized in 2025 and abortion remains technically criminalized. She connects the comfort women system to broader structures of state-controlled exploitation of women's bodies, both abroad and at home. Shimada interprets "minor keys" as minoritarian and subversive, not necessarily quiet. The interview also touches on the disappearance of Chūpi-ren leader Enoki Misako in 1979 and renewed interest in the group, including a novel by Kirino Natsuo and a talk at Kyoto University attended by over 500 people.