2021 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
The Archipelago Speaks Back: Pacific Islander Art and Resistance between Oceania, Japan, and Postcolonial Metropoles
| Project/Area Number |
19K01210
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| Research Institution | Waseda University |
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Principal Investigator |
DVORAK G・E 早稲田大学, 国際学術院, 教授 (20613079)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
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| Keywords | contemporary art / postcolonial / indigenous / resistance / climate change / demilitarization / Oceania / Pacific Islands |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Despite setbacks caused by the global pandemic, this project realized all of its goals-- to hold multiple workshops and symposia about art and art-making as acts of resistance to various forms of colonialism-including military and environmental colonialism, and to confront Japanese legacies of imperialism in Oceania. I researched numerous contemporary art exhibitions in Japan, Asia, US, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East that featured indigenous artists from Oceania, tracking how their work was received in international markets and by international audiences, also advising/researching curatorial practices leading to multiple exhibits. As a direct offshoot of this project I presented significant lectures internationally, published five essays, and co-curated a major art exhibition.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
1: Research has progressed more than it was originally planned.
Reason
Unfortunately, the global COVID19 pandemic interfered severely with my original travel plans, prohibiting me (even currently) from being able to make planned research trips to the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia and other countries. However, in the last several months of FY2021 I was able to visit Pacific Islander communities and artists in Hawaii and Australia, and I additionally substituted much of my research abroad for indigenous and minority sites in Japan in Hokkaido, Okinawa, Aomori, and Kyoto. As a result, my work progressed more smoothly than expected, but there were still delays. I have now completed the main goals of my preliminary three-year project and have a small amount of budget remaining to use for follow-up.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
This three-year project enabled me to initiate a strong research base for ongoing work conducting multiple threads of research about postcolonial activism through the arts both internationally and here in Japan. I have applied for further kakenhi support for a second phase of the project (which was highly rated but not selected for FY2022), so I intend to apply for Tokutei Kadai funding in order to carry out further research internationally as borders reopen in the wake of the global pandemic. I also plan on applying for external funding from additional private foundations for longer-term fieldwork in Oceania and various sites in Japan. Aside from publishing my findings, I also intend to build on my research collaborations in Japan and abroad, and curate more art exhibits as well.
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| Causes of Carryover |
As explained elsewhere, the global pandemic limited the international travel I was able to undertake, forcing me to postpone some of this travel or to make up for some research initiatives by conducting research domestically in Japan. This resulted in the carryover of 141,303 yen, which I intend to use for followup and finalizing of research, presenting results domestically in Japan with research collaborators, or internationally if border entry regulations are relaxed.
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| Remarks |
Further documentation of one of the primary outcomes of this research, the "Air Canoe" exhibit in the 10th Asia Pacific Triennial, is forthcoming, including this web page and the published catalogue.
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