COVID-19 May 2020

2020 - Film & Video (Film & Video)

5:49 minutes

Hikaru Fujii


COVID-19 May 2020 by Hikaru Fujii was filmed during the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic. For this work Fujii filmed the group exhibition Things Entangling, the final phase of a collaboration between KADIST and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. At the time that the first Covid-19 lockdowns were instated in Japan, the exhibition was fully installed, but it was not accessible to the public for an indeterminate duration. As such, Fujii’s video illustrates an inaccessible space due to a public health catastrophe: a paradoxical and dizzying gesture on the part of an artist who has consistently filmed other inaccessible places. Much of Fujii’s work engages with the Fukushima-Daiichi Power Station, where a major nuclear accident occured in 2011, and everyday life was more or less interrupted for an undetermined period of time. Similarly, this work is a haunting documentation of cultural production in stasis. Fujii unintentionally became the exhibition’s first visitor, capturing it in all its unreality: that of an exhibition affected, on pause, on hold, and in the dark. The video depicts a glimpse into the reverberations of confinement, social distancing, quarantines, city lockdowns, and closed borders. The conceits of the artworks in the exhibition, which addressed global political, economic, social, and environmental crises, were compounded by the solitude of the museum. The artworks, which predicted and cautions against future catastrophes, violence, and human extinction, were magnified in the context of the pandemic.


Hikaru Fujii utilizes film to bridge art and social activism. To engage with specific historical moments and social issues related to systems of dominance, he creates various forms of dialogue in order to document tensions and seek out discourse and critique. Through films and installations, he undertakes extensive research and fieldwork to investigate existing systems and structures, and to probe into hegemonic power embedded in social relations and discourses. Rather than presenting his research matter-of-fact, his work attempts to reinterpret events from contemporary issues and perspectives, exploring the potentiality for political resistance.


Colors:



Related works sharing similar palette

Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: The artist who wants the Rafflesia; Thai colourful culture
© » ARTS EQUATOR

Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: The artist who wants the Rafflesia; Thai colourful culture | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia ArtsEquator Radar John Clewley October 1, 2020 ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region...

Weekly Picks: Indonesia (17 – 23 December 2018)
© » ARTS EQUATOR

Weekly Picks: Indonesia (17 - 23 December 2018) | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Weekly To Do December 17, 2018 Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Bali and Solofrom 17-23 December 2018 The year is coming to a close but there are still a few exciting art events that might brighten your holiday season...

Five Pieces That Stole the Show at Art Basel Miami Beach
© » OBSERVER

The Five Best Artworks at Art Basel Miami Beach | Observer The Pequod booth at Art Basel Miami Beach...

Miu Miu is launching beauty products in 2025
© » WALLPAPER*

Miu Miu beauty line will launch in 2025 | Wallpaper (Image credit: Courtesy of Miu Miu) By Hannah Tindle published 9 February 2024 Today (9 February 2024) Miu Miu has announced its exclusive worldwide partnership and licence agreement with L’Oréal Groupe for the creation, development, and distribution of a luxury beauty line...

The otherworldly queer performance artist protesting Russian oppression
© » I-D VICE CULTURE

The otherworldly queer performance artist protesting Russian oppression advertisement...

Biennale seen posing challenges for artists (via The Nation)
© » ARTS EQUATOR

Biennale seen posing challenges for artists (via The Nation) | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Articles September 18, 2018 The Bangkok Art Biennale beginning on October 19 will have as its theme “Beyond Bliss”...

Dineo Seshee Bopape
© » KADIST

Dineo Seshee Bopape introduces Why do you call me when you know I can’t answer the phone (2013), part of the Kadist collection, as well as her current show Untitled (of Occult Instability)[Feelings] at Palais de Tokyo, Paris, and a new work commissioned by the Montreal Biennale...

Shane Griffin
© » UNRATED

Shane Griffin — UNRTD™ Shane Griffin Shane Griffin is an Irish born Director & Artist...

My sketchbook: Emyr’s life drawings and abstract lines
© » ROYAL ACADEMY

My sketchbook: Emyr's life drawings and abstract lines | Blog | Royal Academy of Arts Emyr’s sketchbook My sketchbook: Emyr’s life drawings and abstract lines Read more Become a Friend My sketchbook: Emyr’s life drawings and abstract lines Published 21 August 2023 Take a look inside the sketchbook of artist Emyr Williams and learn how drawing with your opposite hand can improve your technique...

If Not Now, When?: AA Bronson and Adrian Stimson by Bellamy Mitchell
© » BOMB

BOMB Magazine | If Not Now, When?:AA Bronson andAdrian Stimson Necessary (Required) Cookies that the site cannot function properly without...

To See or Not to See: Learning from the Late Great Robert Irwin, Tourist Paintings, and What if Chris Burden Had Gone to Therapy
© » ARTNEWS REVIEWS

To See or Not to See: Learning from the Late Robert Irwin and More Skip to main content By Janelle Zara Plus Icon Janelle Zara View All January 13, 2024 3:50pm Installation view of Robert Irwin's untitled (dawn to dusk) , 2016, at the Chinati Foundation, Marfa, Texas...

Museum Devoted to Jean-Paul Riopelle Planned for Remote Quebec Island - via The Art Newspaper
© » LARRY'S LIST

The museum, proposed by the artist’s widow, would cost $3.3m and is to be situated on scenic island in the St...

No Lye
© » KADIST

Danielle Dean

2012

No Lye by Danielle Dean documents a group of five women, including Dean herself, confined to a small, cramped bathroom, communicating only by using slogans culled from beauty advertisements (“beauty is skin deep”, “naturalise, it’s in our nature to be strong and balanced”) and quotes from political speeches (“we must protect our borders”, “we are fighting for our way of life and our ability to fight for freedom”)...

Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Indonesian govt aids arts; female voices in Vietnam war stories
© » ARTS EQUATOR

Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Indonesian govt aids arts; female voices in Vietnam war stories | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia ArtsEquator Radar JG Photo/Yudha Baskoro May 14, 2020 ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region...

Two Collaborative Performances
© » KADIST

Etel Adnan & Lynn Marie Kirby Alexandra Pappas & Claudia La Rocco Saturday, December 9, 2017 Bar 5pm, Program 5:30pm KADIST is pleased to present the debut of two short performances rooted in friendship and experimentation, image and language, and call and response...

Damien Hirst's hero refuses to be a brand
© » THE INDEPENDENT

Damien Hirst's hero refuses to be a brand | The Independent | The Independent Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent...

Haining Wang wins Art For Change Prize.
© » FAD MAGAZINE

Haining Wang wins Art For Change Prize...

Singapore Arts Emerging from the “Great Pause”
© » ARTS EQUATOR

Singapore Arts Emerging from the "Great Pause" | ArtsEquator Skip to content The last two years have been significant for those working in arts and culture...

Les êtres évanescents d’Aya Takano
© » LE MONDE

Les êtres évanescents d’Aya Takano Offrir Le Monde Article réservé aux abonnés L’artiste japonaise Aya Takano dans son atelier...