“Echoes Unveiled” exhibition

Last week, I visited the the “Echoes Unveiled: Art by First Nations Australian Women” exhibit. It is currently on display at the Artizon Museum, an art museum near the Yaesu side of Tokyo station, and I kept seeing it advertised on social media because I guess the algorithm gleaned, correctly, that this would be of interest to me.

The art on display was in a variety of mediums by Aboriginal women from all over Australia, ranging from more traditional dot paintings on canvas to an animation featuring woven figurines to glass blown fruits made of uranium glass.

I’m Australian myself and a lot of the darker historical subjects were not new to me (actually, it was the part that interested me). I think if you know something about how things have typically gone for First Nations people around the world Enoch uteri g colonizers, the topics at hand won’t be as surprising as they might be in a better world. Still, this is something you should be aware of before you go. There is a balance between the heavier, darker historical subjects and the works with subjects that relate more to nature and everyday life, though, and the museum itself is lovely, lights and airy. 

The special exhibition is up in the fifth and sixth floors, and there is an interesting selection of permanents works by Japanese and foreign artists alike on the fourth floor. I visited on a weekday morning and it was quiet, with plenty of space to wander around. There is a very user-friendly multilingual reservation system online to ensure you have a ticket, and the whole exhibition was bilingual, with English information provided right alongside the Japanese descriptions.

Calling the exhibition “enjoyable” doesn’t feel right given much of the subject matter, but it’s a worthwhile and interesting experience and I would definitely recommend it.