EB : First of all, we would like to congratulate the Fukuoka
Asian Art Museum on its 10th anniversary. I know you’ve
been working at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum for a long
time. I guess you might have some deep emotions about
the anniversary. Could you give us a short history of the
museum over the last 10 years?
Kuroda Raiji : Thank you for your congratulation.
The project of a new museum for Asian contemporary art star-
ted in 1993 after long efforts of Asian art shows at Fukuoka Art
Museum. The new museum, FAAM opened in 1999, as a unique
museum dedicated to modern and contemporary Asian art while
focusing on the promotion of cultural exchange with citizen th-
rough art activities. It is difficult to write the history, so I give
you data of the ten years --- our permanent collection in-
creased from 1,331 to 2,361; we had four Triennales and other
30 large exhibitions, 17 small exhibitions; We invited 48 artists
and 12 researchers from Asia in the residence program, but I
guess more than 150 artists and art people from Asia stayed
for a certain period for Triennale, other exhibitions and events;
we got 2400,000 visitors.
_ Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
EB : Other international art exhibitions, like biennales and
triennials, have introduced art work focusing on Japan,
China and Korea. It was useful to have a chance to meet
various art works from 21 Asian countries through this tri-
ennial. How do you feel about the results of this triennial
compared to the previous events?
Kuroda Raiji : Everytime, the latest one seemed to be better
than others, but each of the four Triennales had its own ad-
vantages. If I focus on FT4, it is with more serious and sub-
stantial works than FT3 which boasted of “pop” attraction and
festivity. This is because I wanted to keep distance from the
popularity of particular kinds of Asian art in market as well as
from the too event- or exchange- or community- oriented style
of biennales and triennales with only too friendly works, as a
destiny of scarce popularity and lack of education and experi-
ence of contemporary art for common people in Asian cities.
The “substantial” is a result not only of works by established
artists, but also of our more strict examination of artistic quality
and sustainability even for young artists. Many people commen-
ted FT4 seemed “stable” than before, but we do not stop our
efforts to find any potentials in artists working in the underpri-
vileged milieus.
Installation view : The 4th Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale
Cai Guo-Qiang
I Am an Extraterrestrial, Project for Meeting with Tenjin
( Heavenly Gods): Project for Extraterrestrials No.4
1990
Collection: Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
Installation view : The 4th Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale
Aung Ko
Memorial Construction of My Childhood
2009
EB : I’ve heard there’re some alternative art spaces and
contemporary art spaces in Fukuoka. Could you give us
an introduction to the Fukuoka art scene?
Kuroda Raiji : This sounds a good question in the good timing,
because, I could see emergence of new generation or art ac-
tivities in past few years in Fukuoka. Gallery SOAP has the
longest history as alternative space and I respect their genui-
nely “alternative” attitude as seen in Kitakyushu Biennale. Te-
tra, very close to FAAM, has been playing important role in
continuous introduction of local artists as well as openness to
outside artists and flexibility for any sudden plan of talk as well
as frequent live events. I am a regular goer to Art Space Baku,
basically rent space but it gave enormous contribution to art in
Fukuoka for three decades. IAF, historical site in the history of
Fukuoka’s contemporary art, is small but still works for exerci-
ses of very young or even amateurish people, and the present
managers can develop the networks of youngsters. Sango Soko
(Warehouse No.3) is a collective studio with the biggest space.
Artists who finished their term at Sango Soko are activating
the Fukuoka art. Former Ohga Studio is another new collective
studio. However, the most fresh one is Kon-ya 2023, renova-
ted from old apartment and run by a group of architects and
designers et al, because this is not a mere art space (with a
gallery and rooms for residence), but an experiment of bridging
architecture, contemporary art, able art, photography, dance
company, education, etc, and common people. I would like to
thank some people from those spaces for their cooperation and
supports to FT4. Besides, the networking of Kyushu cities has
started to develop, including those ones in Fukuoka and Oita,
Kitakyushu, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, and Kagoshima. However the
desperate situation remains still --- the bad education at art
universities, lack of local support and market, wrong satisfac-
tion in too comfortable life without any concern in historical art-
istic quality and international (even national) commensurability.
EB : Among the other various projects (exhibitions) you
have worked on, which has been the most memorable so
far?
Kuroda Raiji : Actually I have not done many exhibitions. I
collaboratively worked for all Triennales and a few exhibitions
of Asian modern and contemporary art at FAAM, but I would
not insist these are “my” exhibitions. I prefer to tell exhibitions
of Japanese art in 1960’s, such as “Group Kyushu-Ha: Anti-Art
Project” in 1988, I had at Fukuoka Art Museums are “mine”.
If I choose from my humble achievements at FAAM, I like “Lione
Wendt: Gaze of Modernity”, a small exhibition of Sri Lankan pho-
tographer in 1930-40’s. Another memorable one is “Art Toward
the Society: Realism in Korean Art 1945-2005”, curated and
organized by Mr Ko Seonjun of Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum
cooperated by the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea
. This is not a complimentary to Korean readers of East Bridge
but I have been honestly impressed by the great movements of
Minjoong Misool.
Installation view: The 4th Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale
Huang Yong Ping
Python
Collection: Guy & Myriam Ullens Foundation, Switzerland
2000
EB: If there is a project (exhibition) you are currently work
ing on or planning to take on, could you tell us a little
about it?
Kuroda Raiji :
Personally: My own book on the history of art performance in
Japan’s 1960’s soon to be published.
Officially: Research of modern (avant-garde) photography
in Asia.
EB: How do you research information and news about em-
erging artists or good exhibitions?
Kuroda Raiji : The FAAM keeps some budget for foreign resear-
ch every year, for exhibitions and acquisition but it has been
decreasing. In case we do not afford to go abroad, we ask re-
searchers in Asian cities to gather and recommend artists. Of
course each of curators has different information source de-
pending on their specialty, as I have for Korea.
EB: Are there any artists or curators who have influenced
you or that respect in particular?
Kuroda Raiji : There are many visual artists I admire and/or
love, either in Japan, other Asia, and West. However I do not
think any of them gave me so big and life-long impact as Ser-
gei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (Russian filmmaker) and James Joyce
(Irish novelist). I also respect some curators in Japan (I do not
know much about Western or other Asian curators) but each
curator has its own manner, so the curating is not that kind of
job to “influence” or “be influenced”.
EB: If you hadn’t become a curator, what do you imagine
yourself doing? Was it your dream to become involved in
the field of art and planning from early on?
Kuroda Raiji : I wanted to be a rock-singer (laugh—this is a
parody of Andy Warhol’s phrase, saying he wanted to be a tap
-dancer). No. I had no dreams anyway. I just remember my
family took me to “Dreamland” (amusement park) near from
Yokohama in my childhood.
EB: Recently, what are the issues that attract your
attention?
Kuroda Raiji : I am fascinated by the beauty of jellyfish.
EB: This is final question. How would you describe your
faith in art and your life as a curator?
Kuroda Raiji : “Art is what makes life more interesting than
art.” (Robert Filliou)
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