Moeka Suzuki | Back Numbers as Current Location—Each Back Number (5)
Art historian Moeka Suzuki discusses artscape's back numbers as entry points for research and as a device to illuminate the present.Summary
As the final installment of artscape's 30th-anniversary series, contemporary art historian Moeka Suzuki reflects on the site's archives. Drawing from her research on the 1990s Japanese art scene, which she approached from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the era, Suzuki argues that artscape's back numbers function not merely as historical records but as starting points for thought and as tools that reflect contemporary concerns. She highlights how Artwords® served as an entry point for her research and analyzes the diverse issues present in articles from 1996. Furthermore, she points to records concerning the urgent struggles of Studio Shokudo, suggesting that past crises regarding artists' working environments remain relevant today. Suzuki concludes by referencing her own work publishing the art yearbook 'Daen,' asserting that back numbers are not fixed records of the past but rather a constantly rewritten 'current location' that will continue to serve as a foundation for considering the future art scene.
(Source：artscape)