Namiko Kunimoto, professor in the Department of History of Art, gives a lecture titled, "Imperial Animations in Japan’s Art Historical Present."
Why have contemporary artists recently returned to their Imperial pasts for critical inspiration? Gotō Yasuka, a Hiroshima-based artist born in 1982, has created portraits of renowned Japanese artists who worked as war artists or military men during Japan's Fifteen-Year War, raising the sensitive issue of wartime responsibility. Gotō’s portraits return us to these historical elisions, questioning how resurgent Japanese nationalism is built upon refusing responsibility for Japanese imperialism and its violent consequences. Her works do not seek to determine individual degrees of complicity; rather, they emphasize the quotidian activities of artist-soldiers—their shared time, survival, and creative practices. Yet painting, smoking, and living on colonized land remained embedded within Japan’s fascist movement and enabled its violence and oppression. Gotō’s portraits animate, rather than erase, each artist’s involvement with fascism.
Inaugural lectures celebrate Arts and Humanities faculty who have been promoted to the rank of professor. All lectures are held in the Faculty Club Grand Lounge from 4-6 p.m. and are preceded by a reception and followed by Q&A and discussion. All lectures are free and open to the public.
The Arts and Humanities Inaugural Lecture Series is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences
