Chim\u2191Pom, with their ironic and humorous (as well as idiosyncratic) way of pinpointing people\u2019s blind spots, have surprised audiences, caused consternation, and sometimes provoked the ire of \u201cadults.\u201d They\u2019ve painted city rats to look like one of Japan’s most recognizable video game characters in \u201cSuper Rat,\u201d written the word \u201cPika\u201d (\u201cflash\u201d) in the sky over Hiroshima, and added a reference to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster to Taro Okamoto\u2019s giant mural \u201cMyth of Tomorrow\u201d in Shibuya Station. Their parodies of a globally renowned Japanese video game trademark, the trauma of war in the form of the atomic bombing, and Taro Okamoto, a giant of the Japanese art world, have contributed to the group being seen as outlaws who bewilder society and trample on its taboos.
\nHowever, being outlaws, their ability to defy what\u2019s considered common sense has allowed them to confront social challenges and the authority of the times head on, inspiring and encouraging young people of their generation whose struggles with the rules and hierarchies of society have left them feeling powerless and frustrated. Chim\u2191Pom confronting stereotypes and the powers that be in the spirit of the gyaru and yankii types hanging out at Shibuya’s 109 and on Center-gai was unmistakably an iconic image of the Heisei era.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/_sys2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/3cf2415c9eeae1d56427daddbf176dd4.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Chim\u2191Pom from Smappa!Group
\nSPEECH (from the project \u201cThank You Celeb Project I’m BOKAN\u201d)
\n2007
\nCourtesy: ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production, Tokyo<\/p>\n
In \u201cThank You Celeb Project I’m Bokan,\u201d also featured at this exhibition, they organized a charity auction while ironically pointing out the deception inherent in celebrities\u2019 community service efforts. With \u201cKI-AI 100,\u201d they injected energy into the situation of people who, having visited the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, are overwhelmed by their feeling of helplessness in the face of nature, while in \u201cDon’t Follow the Wind\u201d they set up an art museum in the Fukushima no-go zone, offering a pathway into the emotions of those who lost their homes due to the natural and man-made disaster. While their outstanding ability to sensationalize stands out, the emotional \u201cheat\u201d generated by their actions, which touch on human emotions and local (situational) issues, also inspires the viewer. Chim\u2191Pom\u2019s ability to propagate their message is one of their greatest strengths.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/_sys2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/113a859fc9cb0ec154e7b47676475d9c.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Chim\u2191Pom
\nBuild-Burger
\n2018
\nPrivate collection (back)
\nInstallation view: Chim\u2191Pom: Happy Spring, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2022
\nPhoto: Morita Kenji
\nPhoto courtesy: Mori Art Museum, Tokyo<\/p>\n
The standout example of this is \u201cSo see you again tomorrow, too?,\u201d held in Kabukicho. After a decision had been made to tear down the half-century-old building housing the Kabukicho District Association, a key player in the neighborhood, Chim\u2191Pom made the structure a venue for several days of exhibitions, performances, and talks. Notable works here included \u201cBuild Burger,\u201d which showcased a combination of the dynamic space of the cut-out building and stacks of the extracted material, cyanotype photography capturing vestiges of the building, and \u201cLibido-Electricity Conversion Machine \u2018Erokitel\u2019,\u201d which ran on sexual energy. Meanwhile, the chaotic performance program saw appearances by the likes of musician Seiko Oomori, performing group Crack Iron Albatrosskett, and even Tetsuya Komuro who is most popular Japanese music producer in 90s. With Ellie\u2019s partner and host club supremo Maki Tezuka of Smappa!Group backing everything up as co-organizer, the project made for a grand gathering of Shinjuku residents and people associated with Chim\u2191Pom, establishing a node in the entertainment district that is Shinjuku\u2019s Kabukicho that functioned as social medium generating a remarkable variety of encounters. Themed on the dynamic of scrap and build, the exhibits included a cyanotype photo of the Kabukicho Renaissance Charter, a document related to the \u201cKabukicho Cleansing Operation\u201d initiated by former Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara. As the document\u2019s inclusion suggests, the Kabukicho project was to define Chim\u2191Pom’s perspective of standing up against gentrification and, together with the people affected by it, observing the city from a street-level point of view.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/_sys2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/e808a2b3c7635f55735065493652d5ce.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Chim\u2191Pom
\nA Street
\n2022
\nInstallation view: Chim\u2191Pom: Happy Spring, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2022
\nPhoto: Morita Kenji
\nPhoto courtesy: Mori Art Museum, Tokyo<\/p>\n
Taken from this perspective, \u201cHappy Spring\u201d at the Mori Art Museum can be positioned as the culmination of Chim\u2191Pom\u2019s street-level examination of the city and modernity. Symbolic of this was the \u201cStreet\u201d project, unveiled at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts as part of the Asian Art Biennale 2017. Its aim was to create a space open to the people, akin to the pedestrianized streets of old, and was used as a venue for a variety of events selected through an open call, inspiring a wealth of little stories uniting individuals with each other. \u201cStreet\u201d was displayed at this exhibition, too, in the form of a makeshift piece of asphalt. This could be described as the result of miraculous co-creation between Chim\u2191Pom, who look at the city and society from the streets, and a real-estate developer that gazes down at the same city from a bird\u2019s-eye point of view.<\/p>\n
However, one couldn\u2019t help but feel a slight, or rather quite significant, discrepancy between the \u201cStreet\u201d at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, which was connected to an actual public road, and this version \u2013 a lone chunk of asphalt hidden within a skyscraper, accessible only after paying an entrance fee. One would think that the central meaning of \u201cStreet\u201d is in its character as a metaphor for a node that connects, with a single line, an art museum \u2013 a place of certain authority \u2013 with a place open to the homeless and other groups neglected by society (though even streets in the real world are becoming less accommodating to such people). Stowed away on the top floor of a skyscraper \u2013 a space symbolizing authority \u2013 the artwork\u2019s fate illustrated the roots of the clash of worldviews that came to characterize this exhibition\u2019s run.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/_sys2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/73d4f02fa026c74ba73837e308bc9411.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Chim\u2191Pom from Smappa!Group
\nStreet
\n2017-2018
\nCourtesy: ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production, Tokyo
\nInstallation view: Asian Art Biennial 2017, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, 2017-2018
\nPhoto: Maeda Yuki<\/p>\n
Said dynamic revealed itself in the issues of \u201cSuper Rat\u201d having to be displayed in a different venue and in the name-change problem that arose as a result of Smappa!Group being rejected as a sponsor. First, \u201cSuper Rat\u201d is the most important series of Chim\u2191Pom\u2019s early career. Nonetheless, displayed at the entrance to the exhibition was a new golden version titled \u201cSuper Rat Happy Spring,\u201d while Chim\u2191Pom\u2019s signature \u201cSuper Rat (Chibaoka-kun)\u201d (2006) inexplicably came to be exhibited at a project space in Toranomon instead. The decision was rooted in the fact that the artwork parodies an iconic character created by a corporation with offices in the Mori Building, where the museum is located. One imagines that this led to calls for discretion from the Mori Art Museum\u2019s operator. This can be viewed as an act of retaliation for the damage done to said company\u2019s iconic trademark, but from the perspective of art, it\u2019s a serious violation of the sanctity of free expression. On the other hand, however, it must be recognized that art museums are vulnerable in the sense that they cannot operate without their supporters. In this sense, museums are in no way \u201csacred ground,\u201d but mere organizations bound by the dictates of society that face \u201cdeath\u201d once they cease to provide benefits and profits to their stakeholders. Chim\u2191Pom It\u2019s true that collections of small stories emphasize the viewpoints and presence of the individuals involved, so while each participant comes away with a high degree of fulfillment, seeing the big picture is more difficult \u2013 as is turning it into a topic of public discussion. Developing such stories to a point where they become influential takes time, too. On the other hand, highlighting the main axis of a larger narrative helps to pinpoint the structure of conflict and, from the viewpoint of onlookers peering in from the periphery, makes it easier to get emotionally involved. That\u2019s where the creation of \u201cimaginary enemies\u201d \u2013 a classic incitement technique rooted in heroism \u2013 comes in. Such methods can certainly still be powerful. However, we have moved from the 20th century, an era dominated by mass media and the state, into the information society of the 21st century, and the Heisei era \u2013 with its strong residue of the preceding Showa era \u2013 has come to an end. Global capitalism has given birth to economic spheres beyond the state, shaking up traditional power structures, while the potential for social transformations rooted in civic tech has been broadened. The emergence of cryptocurrencies is revolutionizing the concept of money, one of the cornerstones of the state, and inspiring anarchism-like thought. <\/a>* \u201cAnnouncement of Name Change,\u201d posted on Chim\u2191Pom\u2019s official Twitter feed April 19, 2022.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chim\u2191Pom Gold Experience 2012\/2022 Installation view: Chim\u2191Pom: Happy Spring, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2022 Pho […]","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":6964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[73],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6961"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6961"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6961\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7011,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6961\/revisions\/7011"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThis situation is also the root cause of the rejection of Smappa!Group, the operator of multiple host clubs, as exhibition sponsor due to its association with the nightlife business. It is of course impossible to eliminate the chance of prejudice born from superficial understanding that may arise when people see the names of sponsors side by side. One can also understand the decision on the assumed grounds that other sponsors might choose to withdraw as a result, and in terms of Mori\u2019s corporate image that involves being the actor responsible for having \u201ccleaned up\u201d Roppongi, a once infamous neighborhood untouched by gentrification. Nonetheless, Smappa!Group is managed by Maki Tezuka, Ellie\u2019s husband, and the company has long been an important supporter of Chim\u2191Pom\u2019s projects. In addition, Tezuka\u2019s motto of \u201chosts as part of society\u201d has seen him organize street-cleaning initiatives with fellow hosts, and in his role as director of the local district association he\u2019s worked on improving public order in Kabukicho. Considering the inclusion of \u201cStreet,\u201d a project founded on diversity and equality, one might have expected socially progressive activities such as Tezuka\u2019s to have held more weight.
\nGiven that the two sides had worked together on such a significant project, it isn\u2019t difficult to imagine that repeated discussions were held to avoid a breakdown. However, the result was an announcement that Chim\u2191Pom would henceforth be known as Chim\u2191Pom from Smappa!Group. In \u201cAnnouncement of Name Change,\u201d *<\/sup><\/a> the statement detailing the decision, though the group did appear to give consideration to the employees of the museum, the conflict of a \u201cstreet-level perspective on the city and society\u201d versus a \u201cbird\u2019s-eye view of the city\u201d was made abundantly clear. The sensational news spread like wildfire, and the title of an exhibition held at Anomaly, Chim\u2191Pom\u2019s home gallery \u2013 \u201cExcluded But Not Eliminated, We Are Super Rat\u201d \u2013 served to highlight the dichotomy further. On social media, some users decried Chim\u2191Pom\u2019s tactics as mere viral marketing, but what stood out in the end was the old dynamic of justice for the weak against the big narrative and authority. It\u2019s unfortunate that this buried the message for a new era, the one in which people from different standpoints collaborate to create an open \u201cstreet\u201d and give shape to countless small narratives born out of relationships between individuals. The question of whether there ever was an \u201cenemy\u201d raises its head.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/_sys2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1978ee65291552c9031a507fa78218eb.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nLOVE IS OVER
\n2014\/2022
\nInstallation view: Chim\u2191Pom: Happy Spring, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2022
\nPhoto: Morita Kenji
\nPhoto courtesy: Mori Art Museum, Tokyo<\/p>\n
\nAgainst the backdrop of these times, authority \u2013 until now the default imaginary enemy \u2013 has been weakened, and crude antitheses have also lost their power. In other words, the structure of society is clearly changing. The era of the masses, enveloped in the structure and stereotypes of the average citizen standing up to power and frenzied in their communal illusions, is giving way to an era of people who pioneer their own grassroots understandings of happiness. That\u2019s why \u201cStreet\u201d at this exhibition was such an important artwork; it can be seen as an expression of bewildered authorities placing their hopes in those with a \u201cstreet-level perspective on the city and society.\u201d If that\u2019s the case, actors able to form connections between the street-level and bird\u2019s-eye views while retaining their flesh-and-blood feelings should remain in demand. The crucial question then becomes how both sides should go about breaking free from the conflictual structure. That\u2019s because in the chaotic and fleeting situation we find ourselves in, where things can\u2019t be neatly divided into black and white, the future we\u2019re in for is one in which individuals will need to obtain their own happiness while grasping for things to agree on with other people, no matter how different their respective positions may be.<\/p>\n