MOT Annual 2016: Loose Lips Save Ships

Artists: Mai Endo＋Yasuto Masumoto, Meiro Koizumi, Hajime Saito, Artur Żmijewski, Fuyuhiko Takata, Satoshi Hashimoto, Hikaru Fujii, Seiichi Furuya, Dan Perjovschi, Toru Yokota

Showcasing young artists who represent new trends in contemporary art in Japan, MOT Annual is a consecutive series of group exhibitions launched in 1999, organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. Co-curated by ARTISTS’ GUILD, an artist-led organization that develops experimental projects to improve the environments of artistic expression, this exhibition marks the MOT Annual’s 14th installment and is presented in a somewhat different format from its predecessors.

Surveying contemporary society, while everyone can now make their voice heard freely through the internet, there is also growing intolerance against opinions that differ from the values of the majority. Various frictions created by this contortion are evident, and sites of creative expression are no exception. Under such circumstances, what kind of impact on society and people can artistic expression and action make by challenging existing sets of values and social norms, and raising radical questions?

Through in-depth discussions, ARTISTS’ GUILD and the museum have developed every aspect of the exhibition, from theme to structure. With artworks created by both Japanese and international artists, live performances, talks and a book publication, the project poses various questions concerning conditions of artistic expressions and social situations today. Recognizing the significance of acts of vocalization without fear of saying improper things, as the title Loose Lips Save Ships suggests, the exhibition aims to build a platform where multiple interpretations based on different perspectives intersect with one another.
 

About ARTISTS’ GUILD

ARTISTS’ GUILD (AG) is a form of social experiment initiated by artists to explore new possibilities for supporting art.

In 2009, AG launched a video equipment sharing system with the aim of reducing the financial burden for individual artists to make artworks and exhibitions. In 2013, AG established AG Productions LLC, an incorporated organization that engages in art praxis with a different approach to that of artists working individually by undertaking video documentation of exhibitions and related events.
 

Organized by: Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo

Exhibition direction:
Meiro Koizumi (ARTISTS’ GUILD), Yasuto Masumoto (ARTISTS’ GUILD),
Hiroharu Mori (ARTISTS’ GUILD), Kazuhiko Yoshizaki (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)

Book direction:
Koki Tanaka (ARTISTS’ GUILD) and Arts Common Tokyo (English Selection: Yuki Okumura (ARTISTS’ GUILD) and Art Translators Collective)

Graphic design: Kentaro Nakamura

Exhibition Catalogue:
MOT Annual 2016: Loose Lips Save Ships (Tentative title)
Publisher: torch press
Release date: mid-April 2016

Press contact:
Mihoko Nakajima (PR, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)
m-nakajima [​at​] mot-art.jp / T +81（0）3 5245 1134（Direct) / F +81（0）3 5245 1141