Scarlet Birds, Crimson Sky

At "Gallery & Restaurant Butaiura," we are pleased to present a solo exhibition by Yuken Teruya, an artist from Okinawa currently based in Berlin.

What comes to mind when you think of Okinawa? Perhaps a tropical paradise with beautiful, endless seas? Laid-back residents who laugh off troubles with the phrase "Nankurunaisa"? Or maybe you think of the idol groups that were hugely popular in the 1990s? However, while Okinawa often carries such a bright, utopian public image, it is also the only place in Japan where ground battles occurred during World War II, and following the war, it remained under U.S. military control until 1972. Even today, approximately 70% of the total land area occupied by U.S. military bases in Japan is concentrated in Okinawa.

Yuken Teruya’s works use familiar materials and everyday concepts while addressing themes rooted in Okinawa’s history, the U.S. military presence, and the systems of power and control within society. At the heart of this exhibition are Aka no Tori, Kurenai no Sora (2010), a piece using Bingata, a traditional Okinawan dyeing technique, combined with imagery from everyday life in Okinawa, and new works from his Monopoly series, which uses the capitalist game as a motif for the negotiation and appropriation of land. Through this exhibition, Teruya brings to light the political conditions and critiques of consumerism that lie beneath the glamorous surface. His questions, posed through his works, inspire imagination to think about our collective future and provide insights into dialogue that transcends social divisions.

“Consumption” has unconsciously become an essential part of communication in our lives. How might the 80 years of post-war Japan's experiences and struggles intersect with the values of consumer culture? Can we embrace consumer culture actively? What kinds of questions arise from the overlap between post-war Okinawa’s “patterns” and the trademarks of energy drinks and imported products?

In 1947, from the ruins of Shuri: a place reduced to ashes where nearly all cultural artefacts and lives were lost, the revival of Bingata (a traditional stencilled resist dyeing technique originating in Okinawa) began, borne from memories etched into skilled hands. Eiki Shiroma carved stencils from military maps and kraft paper discarded by the Japanese and American armies. Sekiko Chinen crafted blades from watch springs and recreated his grandfather’s designs on soldiers’ notebooks. From military debris in the ruins, an authentic Bingata was reborn. The passion of Shiroma and Chinen in restoring Bingata serves as the foundation for my own work.

In contrast to traditional motifs of Scarlet Birds, Crimson Sky, alongside this Bingata Kimono are symbols of post-war Okinawan daily life: fighter jets, police cars, A-signs, fences from U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Ryukyu stamps, and the Emperor’s Message. Nearby, empty boxes of everyday items: used as stencils in creating Bingata patterns are displayed. Some of these items are products found throughout Japan: curry seasonings, KFC, cigarettes, or Pocky (typical Japanese chocolate biscuits). The blend of uniquely Okinawan motifs with mass-produced goods illustrates how Okinawa’s unresolved issues of American military bases, its “post-war challenge,” becomes a “national challenge” for Japan as a whole. The boxes of mass-produced souvenirs, which market “Okinawan identity” for non-Okinawan consumers, also reflect Okinawa’s shrewd adaptation within consumer culture.

(Author: Yuken Teruya, Edited by Yuki Saiki)

・Title: Scarlet Birds, Crimson Sky

・Production year: 2010

・Medium: Bingata (an Okinawan dyeing technique characterized by the use of a paper pattern and vivid colors)

・Signed on the Certificate of Authenticity