A private view of this exhibition will be held on 6 October 2022. For more details, please visit the Daiwa Foundation website.

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is pleased to showcase Yuken Teruya’s first UK show, marking the 50th year of Okinawa’s reversion to Japan after the American occupation.

Invisible power has always been the dominant force in our society. Our values, beliefs, and understanding are steered by the social and political status quo – structures which serve to propagate hegemony. I want to excavate the submerged norms that haunt us and expose other perspectives which co-exist. My aim is to surprise people, to shake up preconceptions, and to encourage people to face the future. 

Yuken Teruya, 2022

Yuken Teruya is one of the most prolific Okinawan artists of his generation. His work is known for using humble objects – cardboard, paper bags, newspapers, board games, balloons – in ways that echo Okinawa’s historical narrative. It explores the ongoing psychological and political impact of power relationships and their effects on the natural world. In doing so, it attempts to disentangle individual memories from dominant narratives, leading us to critical understandings of our current situation. His works have delved into today’s critical thinking and discourses on democracy, identity, the US military presence, war, violence and ongoing issues related to colonialism. His voice is unique in Japan, yet resonates with audiences beyond.