In the beginning, Womankind was the sun - Weren't we?
Kotaro Nukaga Three
Starts 5/17
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Artists
Yoshiko Shimada, Layla Yamamoto, Namae Myoji
In the beginning, Womankind was the sun – Weren't we? explores the Japanese state’s historical and ongoing control over women’s bodies and sexualities. Curated by Layla Yamamoto, the exhibition features works by three contemporary Japanese women artists—Yoshiko Shimada, Layla Yamamoto, and Namae Myoji— challenging the patriarchal narratives through historical critique and speculative futures.
The title references pioneering Japanese feminist activist Raicho Hiratsuka’s 1911 article in Seito (Bluestocking), in which she denounced women’s subjugation in modern Japan, likening the moon to women’s oppressed status and the sun to independence. More than a century later, Japan still ranks 118th out of 146 countries in the 2024 Gender Gap Index, highlighting persistent structural inequality despite constitutional protections. Recently, a Japanese politician sparked controversy by suggesting that women over 30 ought to be required to undergo hysterectomies to pressure younger women to have children, underscoring the continued normalization of state and societal control over women’s bodies. In response to these realities, the exhibition poses urgent questions: Have Japanese women ever truly been independent? And if not, how might they achieve liberation akin to the sun?
Through the works of Shimada, Yamamoto, and Myoji, In the beginning, Womankind was the sun – Weren't we? challenges institutionalized control over women’s bodies and invites viewers to reimagine a society where women are no longer confined to the subordinate role of the moon.
The title references pioneering Japanese feminist activist Raicho Hiratsuka’s 1911 article in Seito (Bluestocking), in which she denounced women’s subjugation in modern Japan, likening the moon to women’s oppressed status and the sun to independence. More than a century later, Japan still ranks 118th out of 146 countries in the 2024 Gender Gap Index, highlighting persistent structural inequality despite constitutional protections. Recently, a Japanese politician sparked controversy by suggesting that women over 30 ought to be required to undergo hysterectomies to pressure younger women to have children, underscoring the continued normalization of state and societal control over women’s bodies. In response to these realities, the exhibition poses urgent questions: Have Japanese women ever truly been independent? And if not, how might they achieve liberation akin to the sun?
Through the works of Shimada, Yamamoto, and Myoji, In the beginning, Womankind was the sun – Weren't we? challenges institutionalized control over women’s bodies and invites viewers to reimagine a society where women are no longer confined to the subordinate role of the moon.
Schedule | May 17 (Sat) 2025-Jun 14 (Sat) 2025 Opening Hours Information
Opening Reception May 17 (Sat) 2025 16:00 - 18:00 | ||||
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Venue | Kotaro Nukaga Three https://kotaronukaga.com/en/  | ||||
| Location | 3F Terrada Art Complex I, 1-33-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0002 | ||||
| Access | 9 minute walk from exit B at Tennozu Isle Station on the Rinkai line, 10 minute walk from the South exit of Tennozu Isle Station on the Tokyo Monorail line, 9 minute walk from the North exit of Shimbamba Station on the Keikyu line. | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it  |
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