NEVER END, from "To the Sky" series

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.

・Title: NEVER END, from "To the Sky" series

・Production year: 2024

・Size

　　Iron Piece of Bomb：H5 x W14 x D1.5 cm, 445g

　　Balloons: Dimension variable

・Medium: Balloons, curling ribbons, iron piece of bomb, ties

・Signed on the Certificate of Authenticity