A tribute to #Rokudenashiko arrested in Tokyo for distributing her #3D vagina data [#geekgirl]
/Gender, Genitor, Genitalia â Rokudenashiko Tribute / /Opened:29th Aug (Sat) ~ 20th September (Sun) 2015***
On July 2014, artist Megumi Igarashi, also known as Rokudenashiko, was arrested in Tokyo for distributing her 3D vagina data on an internet crowd funding site, in suspicion of violating Japanese obscenity laws. She was released after a few days, then arrested again in December 2014. This time she was held in police custody for the maximum duration allowable for this kind of case, 23 days. Igarashi never admitted she was guilty. She claimed the vagina was at the center of her artistic expression, and that the works were not obscene.
She describes making art with a sincere desire to contribute to society, not as a prank. Her intention is to liberate women to become more open and frank with their vaginas as just another part of the body. And at the same time, from a feministâs point of view, to work towards equality between males and females.This incident was covered widely in the media. There are many issues raised by the case of Rokudenashiko, including censorship and infringement of freedom of expression; Japanese legal issues (the conflict between Article 175 and Article 21); digital art, internet issues, the relationship between obscenity and new technologies like 3d printing; and feminism and feminist art, including how genitalia have been dealt with in visual art.
The works (Aida, Rokudenashiko, Suzuki, Lam, Man, Leung) examine why genitalia artworks are made and how often genitalia are taken up as an artistic theme. Second, feminist art is usually an invisible category of art in Asia, and there have been few exhibitions focusing on feminist art in the past.
Feminism is not singular, but includes several groups with different ideas. The exhibition includes different approaches to feminism with different points of view, from âlipstick feminismâ (Robot, Sputniko!) and a funny device that enable women urinate against the wall (Ling & Comma), to more classical approaches focused on liberating woman from oppression (Suzuki, Man, Rokudenashiko, Tan). Finally, gender in the digital world and on the internet is becoming an increasingly important issue (Suzuki, Lam), especially after Igarashi / Rokudenashiko was arrested because of her Vagina 3D data.
Lam Hoi Sin creates QR codes that the audience can only see using their mobiles. The aim of this exhibition is to raise the profile of Rokudenashikoâs case and let Hong Kong people know exactly what happened in Japan. In Hong Kong, in the current political climate and after the Umbrella protests, people are more aware of authoritative interventions against the freedom of expression. It would be useful and intriguing to inform them what is happening in Japan through this exhibition. In relation to this incident, we attempt to examine feminism and questions digital obscenity in this exhibition. In addition, we will support Rokudenashiko to exhibit her works, by selling her Sof-Vi Manko-chan, and by making a donation to help her cover the costs of her trial.
MIACA Moving Image Archive of Contemporary Art, 707 B, MPCenter, 18 Ka Yip Street, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
Source: MDHHH mailout