Japan’s Women in Motion event, launched in 2015 and becoming an annual event since, is celebrating its 12th edition this year. During the festival, women photographers’ visibility in their artistic field will be recognized nationwide.
Meant to encourage a debate not just about women’s contribution and recognition in the discipline and culture of the arts but also the deep inequality that is rooted in the field of creative arts, the festival aims to showcase the works of several women photographers and capture the essence that is profoundly rich in their diversity.
At this year’s 12th edition of the festival, Rinko Kawauchi, one of Japan’s most recognized contemporary photographers, will show her work alongside Tukuko Ushioda, who, at 83, is still producing beautiful works of art. The exhibition will take place in the form of a dialogue between the two female talents. It will be hosted at the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art, in the South Wing 2F of the primary building, located at the heart of a cultural area in the historical city of Kyoto. Kawauchi will present her pieces Cui Cui and As It Is, while Ushiodo will display works from Ice Box and My Husband. While family and children are common subjects in both works, one can determine the perspectives and approaches both artists have regardless of their generational differences.
When asked about her work being displayed, Rinko Kawauchi writes that her works will “be exhibited alongside Ushioda,” and that each of both works from the two series are in “a space that is the same size, located side by side.” According to Kawauchi, the works show the accumulation of time spent and record the days with our families and the result of facing ourselves. Through her work, she hopes to share what she has seen through the art of photography, which she claims both she and Ushioda have done, even though they are from different generations.
Meanwhile, Ushioda stated that she will take her Ice Box and My Husband as subjects and examine her path thus far. She looks forward to seeing what kind of view she can see from each window and is excited and thankful to everyone at Kering for making the opportunity possible.
Women in Motion has become a platform for helping change the mindsets during the fight against inequality between women and men in the arts, most notably in photography. In March 2019, Kering and the Rencontres d’Arles announced their partnership, wherein they launched the Women in Motion program at Arles. Kering also launched the Women in Motion LAB and the Women in Motion Award for photography at Artles, the latter of which has celebrated the career of an outstanding photographer since 2019, which is accompanied by an endowment for works acquired by the chosen artist for the Rencontres d’Arles collection.
This year’s Women in Motion will occur in Kyoto, Japan, from April 13 to May 12, 2024.
