Emiko Kasahara "DR 2019-" @ The Third Gallery Aya
Emiko Kasahara's solo exhibition "DR 2019-" at The Third Gallery Aya presents the final chapter of her project examining the relationship between colonialism and railways.Summary
The Third Gallery Aya is hosting the solo exhibition "DR 2019-" by Emiko Kasahara, an artist known for works that question societal norms and institutions like gender and religion. Born in Tokyo in 1963, Kasahara utilizes media such as sculpture, video, and performance to explore themes of the female body, gender difference, religiosity, and social structures like colonialism. This exhibition features the final chapter of a project she has been developing since 2014 concerning the construction of modern railways deeply linked to the formation and development of colonialism. Kasahara focuses on the relationship between railways—which inspire fascination while expanding economic development—and the currency that funds them, viewing this connection as a contradictory social metaphor suggesting the ongoing chain of aggressive acts. Through acts resembling childhood mischief and the accumulation of their records, she examines deviation from and the subversion of repeating history. Previous iterations of this project involved the Trans-Siberian Railway, the former South Manchuria Railway, and the Transcontinental Railroad in America; this exhibition specifically presents works created concerning the former German National Railway (Deutsche Reichsbahn, abbreviated as "DR" in the exhibition title). The exhibition runs from February 28 to March 28, 2026, and includes an opening party and artist talk.
(Source：ART iT)