Everyone is an Artist! A Diverse Open Call Exhibition Held During the SDGs Season

2023.09.20 09:30

江戸川区総合文化センター

The Edogawa Ward Cultural Center (Location: Edogawa Ward, Tokyo; Director: Toshimitsu Saito; hereinafter referred to as "the Center") will hold the "3rd Edogawa BOXART Exhibition: Express Yourself in a Box, Accept Others' Feelings in a Box" (hereinafter referred to as "the Exhibition") The exhibition will be held from November 20 (Monday) to December 20 (Wednesday), which partly overlaps with the period of the "SDGs Season in EDOGAWA".

This open call for entries is open to everyone, regardless of gender, age, nationality, or disability.

Because we have received entries from many people across various barriers, the past two open call exhibitions have featured many works that are rich in diversity and uniqueness.

Appreciating the works leads to considering and accepting the feelings of others, each of whom is different from each other, and leads to embracing diversity and realizing a symbiotic society. This is an open call exhibition where you can encounter a mysterious box that will expand your world.

(1) Works are not only for "viewing! Works that are enjoyable both visually and tactilely

The 2nd Edogawa BOXART Exhibition featured many works by visually impaired people.

In the "1st Edogawa BOXART Exhibition," there were works that focused not only on color and shape, but also on the feeling of touch.

"Chaos" by Punch

"Meister" by Penguin

"Nade-Nade-Hana"(means "Patting Flower") by Puni-Puni-Ko

The creators of "Chaos" and "Meister" are visually impaired, so they had to drive nails by hand and pass colorful wool yarns between nails to create their works, touching the tension of the wool yarns and the resulting shapes, and imagining them in their minds.

The work "Nade Nade Hana"(means "Patting Flower") is a tactile work, which she says is a reproduction of the feeling of her beloved mother's arms. The artist's wish is that when it is difficult to touch a loved one due to the COVID-19, the viewer will be able to touch this work.

(2) "My World" communicated through non-verbal means. Children with severe mental and physical disabilities expresses their world in a box.

The 1st and 2nd Edogawa BOXART Exhibitions featured many works by children with severe mental and physical disabilities.

"Surprise Fluttering Box" by Hikaru Tai

"BOX-kun" by Honoka Matsui

"How to Paint a Story" by Yutaro Harihara

The works were filled with materials such as shredded colored paper, flyers, and cardboard, and the brush brushed lightly with chatting, just like coloring in a conversation with someone you love. The works and their world filled with love, by who are more "honest about what they love" than anyone else, were on display.

＜Outline of the 3rd Edogawa BOXART Exhibition＞

Date & Time: November 20 (Mon.) - December 20 (Wed.), 2023, 8:30 - 22:00 Admission free

Place: Edogawa Ward Cultural Center (4-14-1 Chuo, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo) Central Lobby

Planning Supervisor: Katsuhiko Hibino

For more information on the event, please visit the official website → https://edogawa-boxart.jp