Punk! The Revolution of Everyday Life

DatesApr 28 (Fri), 2023 - May 8 (Mon), 2023

Dates:

Apr 28 (Fri) - May 8 (Mon), 2023

Open throughout the session period

Hours:

10:00 - 17:00 (Entry by 16:30)

Place:

Chinretsukan Gallery 1F (The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts)

Admission:

free

Organized by Yoshitaka Mōri Lab, Graduate School of Global Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts

Supported by MOTOYA UNITED Co.,Ltd., BRONZE FIST RECORDS, Kenichiro Egami

Curated by Kounosuke Kawakami

Punk is usually associated with raw, dissonant sound and image, and a riotous attitude, rebelling against social norms and prevailing powers. Tracing back its lineage, punk was neither solely an angry youth culture of the 1970s, nor a subculture in the traditional sense: it inspired an underground scene which persists today and became a set of shared beliefs, ideas, and moral attitudes which attained more widespread acceptance in society. Although derived from visual art and rock music, punk can be described as a progenitor in the resistance of cultural hegemony and movements towards greater inclusion and equality in sexuality, race and class. This exhibition will examine the affinity with contemporary art and the synergy between the two by looking at the practice and criticality with which punk has addressed various social issues. It will further investigate how the movement formed an autonomous space through music and for everyday life, revealing an underlying ethic of mutual aid, non-hierarchical collaboration, DIY, positive liberty, and self-organisation through independent publishing and record labels. PUNK! The Revolution of Everyday Life explores the development of punk cultural and historical references with DADA, Lettrism, Situationist International, King Mob, Black Mask & Up Against the Wall Mother Fucker. At the same time, we will refer to punk rockers CRASS, Riot Grrrl, Queercore, Afro-Punk, Indonesian Punk, Myanmar Punk, Filipino Punk, Nepali Punk and Soul Beat Asia who have followed the punk trajectory since the Sex Pistols. The late anarchist and anthropologist David Graeber's essay will develop this perspective.