Statement

This exhibition project is inspired by the struggles of people who left their homeland and created a community in Utoro, Kyoto, to build a new life there. Artworks that renew our gaze are gathered here to give hope to countless others who are part of the great migration that is continuing around the globe.

Eight billion people live on the planet Earth. Of these, 89 million have been forced to leave their original home or country and live in other lands. Of the 89 million, 27 million are refugees, 4.6 million are asylum seekers and 53 million are internally displaced persons (UNHCR, statistics 2021-2022). The causes of forced displacement vary including wars, civil conflict and natural disasters, or major accidents such as factory explosions and chemical contamination of water sources; ethnic exclusion, failed economic policies, and maladministration cause further impoverishment and the widening of the North-South economic gap, leading to more waves of migration.

In addition to the clearly discernible and arbitrary migration shown in these statistics, we know that there has been a great deal of voluntary migration in search of a “better life” in the modern era, from the late 19th century to the present day. In other words, moving to and living in other lands have become shared experiences for many people for well over 100 years. This experience of migration creates gaps between life in the destination, the deracination from the place of origin, and the ‘rooting’ of the next generation born in the new land. The people new to the land might see possibilities there to pave the way for new communities, but they might face obstacles that prevent them from doing so. Migration is a source of hope and suffering.

Through this forum and exhibition, we will ask how the global phenomenon of migration—both forced or unavoidable and voluntary, to build new lives in distant lands—has changed and will continue to change in the future of this planet of eight billion people.

Foreword from the Organizing Team

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan. While the end of World War II in East Asia might appear to signal the conclusion of Japanese imperial colonization and wars of aggression, what lasting weight does this reality still carry for the region?

Utoro is a neglected Korean village near Kyoto that suffered continued marginalization after the war. It has become synonymous with the poverty, hardship, and discrimination faced by Zainichi Koreans (ethnic Koreans residing in Japan). In 1987, the land where the village stood was sold to a private company, and the villagers were ordered to leave, suddenly becoming squatters on the land they had lived on for generations. As the villagers resisted eviction, a prolonged struggle began to prove the legitimacy of their existence to Japanese society. This struggle encapsulated broader issues: displacement due to colonization and war, the right to settle in a place that has been home for generations, and the challenge of coexisting with mainstream Japanese society. The core of the Utoro issue lies in the fact that even as Japan views its imperialist past as over, discrimination and restrictions on the formerly subjugated persist, often invisibly.

UAF2025 focuses on the history of Utoro Village and its resilient spirit in overcoming discrimination and hardship while seeking coexistence. The festival is organized around three keywords: migration, settlement, and coexistence. By reinterpreting the experience of Utoro Village, a symbol of peace, through the lens of contemporary art, the festival aims to share its spirit with Kyoto’s citizens, people across Japan, and visitors from around the world. The venues for the festival—the Utoro Peace Memorial Museum, Goethe-Institut Villa Kamogawa, and Doshisha University—provide a tangible context for exploring the themes of migration, settlement, and coexistence.

The Utoro Peace Memorial Museum confronts us with the despair wrought by colonization, war, discrimination, and indifference—all encapsulated in the name Utoro. By engaging with this despair, we uncover the enduring scars of the past and, through reflection, envision a future of hope and renewal.

The Goethe-Institut Villa Kamogawa, known for teaching German and promoting German culture, also offers a sense of migration through the experience of unfamiliar language and culture. Germany, like Japan, bears an inescapable responsibility for its role in World War II.

Doshisha University features a stone memorial inscribed with a poem by Korean resistance poet Yun Dong-ju, whose life was tragically cut short in Fukuoka Prison in 1945. His poignant poetry, which lamented the “dying” of all things, reflected the existence of a man who had no true home in China, Korea, or Japan.

The festival connects, intertwines, and amplifies the significance of these three Kyoto venues—Utoro Peace Memorial Museum, Goethe-Institut Villa Kamogawa, and Doshisha University—creating a powerful narrative of migration, settlement, and coexistence. This attempt aims to capture new perspectives on the various aspects of global migration and the challenges of survival.