"At the sixth edition of the Aichi Triennale, which opened in Japan in September, wars and their effects loom large. The exhibition's title, A Time Between Ashes and Roses (until 30 November), comes from a line in a poem by the Syrian poet Adonis about the cycle of destruction and rebirth, observed through nature. It resonates throughout this year's event, where war, displacement, memory and the natural world are interwoven across venues in Aichi Prefecture, located to the west of Tokyo."
""It [has never been as] crucial as it is right now when we think about the devastation that is happening, the genocide and the ethnic cleansing. So it's been a very emotional experience," Al Qasimi said during a press conference before the triennial's opening. "I echo many people when they say, none of us will be free until all of us are free. So free Palestine.""
"One of the first works visitors see at the Aichi Arts Center in Nagoya is The Lion with Four Blue Hands (2025) by the Japanese artist Kubo Hiroko. The multi-storey tall, deep blue tapestry confronts viewers with apocalyptic scenes of flooded cities, disease and tents resembling a refugee camp leading up to the harrowing depiction of a mushroom cloud. The display marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Kubo's hometown of Hiroshima by the US."
The sixth Aichi Triennale stages artworks that center war, displacement, memory and the natural world under the title A Time Between Ashes and Roses. The title, drawn from a poem by the Syrian poet Adonis, frames a cycle of destruction and rebirth observed through nature. Curator Hoor Al Qasimi foregrounds political urgency, including explicit attention to Palestinians in Gaza and allegations of genocide. Large-scale installations confront atomic history and contemporary warfare: tapestries and immersive pieces depict flooded cities, disease, refugee tents, mushroom clouds, and sickly flora and fauna. The exhibition links human trauma with environmental devastation and collective remembrance.
Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events
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