'Artworks'
June 9 to August 21
Artwork / ゴジラ/ɡɒdˈzɪlə/
- Abstract: On March 1, 1954, Daigo Fukuryū Maru (Lucky Dragon Five), a Japanese fishing boat, was contaminated by nuclear fallout as a result of the United States’ thermonuclear test, Castle Bravo, in Bikini Atoll. The first ゴジラ movie was released in November 1954, as a direct response to this incident as well as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The kaiju (monsters) are a metaphor for nuclear weapons, the American militarization of the Pacific, and environmental disaster. In total, 29 Japanese films were made by Toho Co., Ltd. ゴジラ/ɡɒdˈzɪlə/ (2020) is a 96-minute single-channel video with sound that layers all 29 films simultaneously, but with all scenes involving monsters and humans removed. This erasure mirrors the United States’policies and actions as a settler and colonial nation, leaving a wake of destruction in its path. The transparencies reflecting the half-life of radioactive isotopes as well as the trauma of America’s nuclear legacy. We are the monsters and the monsters are us.
- Biography: As an artist and ocean engineer, Jane Chang Mi assesses the post-colonial ocean environment through interdisciplinary research. Mi examines the narratives associated with the underwater landscape considering the past, present, and future. She most often focuses on the occupation and militarization of the Pacific Ocean by the United States. Specifically, her practice is centered around the topics of militourism — the creation and protection of tourist economies by military or paramilitary forces — and scientific colonization. This interest emerges from her background as an ocean engineer, a field that is inextricably linked to the American military complex. June 9 to August 21
Venue
- Santa Mònica
La Rambla, 7, Barcelona
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