The theme of YOKOHAMA 2005 is “Jumping from the Ordinary.”
What kind of people and what kind of ideas and concepts generate and produce art? In what ways does art penetrate our lives? And what are the changes that take place as a result? One of the aims of YOKOHAMA 2005 is to reconsider and reevaluate the function of art and the power of art in modern society.
For example, Biennale and Triennale international exhibitions of contemporary art are held in many different locations around the world. Regardless of the format, however, clearly the hierarchy between observer and creator still exists. While this hierarchy exists, only a monologue can take place between the observer and the exhibited work. What are the factors preventing an exhibition that encourages dialogue between the observer and the art/artist? What is necessary in order for such an exhibition to be realized?
When organizing an international exhibition, we must realize that a different type of encounter with the new “present progressive” art cannot take place unless the fundamental barrier between the observer and the exhibitor or creator is transcended, or unless there are significant strides in creative expression.
I am reminded of a project by the Italian artist Alberto Garutti who participated in the “Over the edges” exhibition held in the town of Ghent in Belgium. In Garutti’ s work, the streetlights in the park near Hospital in Ghent would turn on for a short time whenever a baby was born at the hospital. To be there and seeing the street lights being turned on represented “art as hope.” In a world with little hope, marked by the countless natural disasters of recent months, Garutti’ s art represents perhaps the only thing in which we can maintain hope. I felt, in Ghent, that this is where art lies.
Today, artists the world over are examining their place in the world and continue to take significant leaps in their avenues of expression - it is these very leaps in creativity that represent hope for the world.
We would like to introduce, through YOKOHAMA 2005, the inherent function and thrill of contemporary art - the enhancement of our sensibilities and challenges to our values - something that is becoming lost in our everyday lives.
Our aim is to present the exhibition as a venue for communication rather than simply a site for visitors to observe the works on display. We have, therefore, come up with several keywords that sum up the theme of the Second Yokohama Triennale.
