I have been installing group exhibitions with Fion Gunn in China for over 4 years, this recent show was different. Participating artists came from over 13 countries, each compelled to make
their statement on sexual violence as a weapon of war. The narrative for this begins with the issue of the comfort women and extends to a contemporary perspective. This project was presented by Sam Chen, president of CAPA Centre for Asian Pacific Affairs based in Flushing NYC.  Some artists had shown work in the first show in New York September 2015 and others are artists living and working in China. As co curator for this show at Inter Gallery in 798 , I was on familiar ground working with Fion Gunn and also with the venue Inter Gallery where we had already installed an Irish Wave exhibition earlier this year.

 

 

 

 

 

The exhibition investigates individual and collective accountability, it is not a  documentary of horrors nor a mechanism for assigning blame  but it does speak of loss and resilience, of sorrow and our shared humanity, aiming to bring insight and perspective and also to allow space for the viewer to consider what continues to happen in the world today.   This post will take you on a few of the  pathways we built for visitors to explore and learn more about this challenging subject.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the front page of the catalogue above the project is ambitious with the line up of intended venues.  Hangzhou is planned for April 2016. Hangzhou is an area where the Japanese military had a comfort women camp.

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