A study of the ways in which contemporary Japanese photographers visualized the Tōhoku disaster (the trifold disaster that destroyed the Tōhoku region in Japan in 2011). The concept of the sublime...Show moreA study of the ways in which contemporary Japanese photographers visualized the Tōhoku disaster (the trifold disaster that destroyed the Tōhoku region in Japan in 2011). The concept of the sublime functions as a theoretical framework, explored in relation to moral and aesthetic dilemmas that occur when representing death, disaster and trauma.Show less
Recently in Japan, regional art projects have been organized in ancient townhouses called machiya. This is part of a larger tendency in Japan since the 2000s whereby local governments and...Show moreRecently in Japan, regional art projects have been organized in ancient townhouses called machiya. This is part of a larger tendency in Japan since the 2000s whereby local governments and organizations work together in setting up art projects with historical preservation as a goal. In this thesis, I will investigate two of these art projects named 'Nara Machiya Art Festival Hanarart' in Nara prefecture and the 'Tatsuno Art Project' in Tatsuno city, Hyogo prefecture. Both of these projects seem to emphasize a certain nostalgia towards machiya by carrying out the theme of 'memories', suggesting that inviting people to machiya through art may give them a consciousness towards the history of these buildings. In this thesis I will analyze the artworks by two participating artists named Imamura Ryosuke (1982-) and Takeda Riki (1983-) and question in what way their works respond to machiya and its memories. Then I will suggest that these participating artists employ the theme of ' memories' in ways that offer a different approach of the machiya exhibition spaces than being suggested by the organizing commissions. They are able to trigger individual responses among viewers that are not so much nostalgic, but rather firmly located in the present, which will eventually lead to the creation of many new ' identities' of the ancient Japanese houses.Show less
The Japanese constitution guarantees freedom from censorship. However, article 175 of the Japanese Criminal Code prohibits the production and distribution of obscenities. In an effort to still be...Show moreThe Japanese constitution guarantees freedom from censorship. However, article 175 of the Japanese Criminal Code prohibits the production and distribution of obscenities. In an effort to still be able to publish erotic manga, manga artists use a plethora of self-censorship techniques, trying to circumvent the law. In this thesis I try to investigate what exactly is deemed obscene under the Japanese law. By examining the works of Japanese erotic gay manga artist Tagame Gengoroh I try to establish whether certain techniques are more favorable than others according to different publication media. It turns out that Japanese judges tend to alter the definition of obscene to the opinions of society; the definition seems to change through time.Show less
