ON LIMITS

滞在制作を行った有楽町は、太平洋戦争敗北後、占領軍に接収され、一般の日本人は立ち入りできない「OFF LIMITS」と掲示された建物が多く点在したエリアだった。制作を行ったギャラリーは通行人が自由に出入りできることから、Ruiは「ON LIMITS」のサインを入り口に掲示し、そのまま展示タイトルにも起用された。戦後80年が経過し、私たちが自由に西洋由来のARTに触れることができるようになった現状を、あえて言語化することで強調する。アメリカ人カメラマンによって撮影された日本人のサンドイッチマンが持っていた看板を引用し、オープニング初日、ギャラリーに通行人を呼び込むパフォーマンスを行った。

Yurakucho, where the artist’s residency was held, was an area that had been confiscated by the occupying forces after the defeat in the Pacific War, and was dotted with many buildings marked “OFF LIMITS” that were off-limits to ordinary Japanese people. Since the gallery where the work was created was freely accessible to passersby, Rui posted an “ON LIMITS” sign at the entrance, which was also used as the title of the exhibition. The exhibition title was taken directly from the title of the exhibition. 80 years after the end of World War II, we are now able to freely come into contact with Western-derived art, and Rui dared to emphasize this by verbalizing the current situation. The sign held by a Japanese sandwich man, photographed by an American photographer, was quoted in a performance that drew passersby into the gallery on the first day of the opening.