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The exhibit “Two Flags,” held in commemoration of the 101st anniversary of the March 1 Movement, at Gallery Think Box in Gwangju’s Dong (East) District. (provided by Gallery Think Box)

An exhibition criticizing the Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for permitting use of Japan’s Rising Sun flag during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is being held in Gwangju.

“Two Flags” is a commemorative exhibition for the 101st anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement taking place from Mar. 1 to Apr. 30 at Gallery Think Box in Gwangju’s Dong (East) District.

The theme of “two flags” refers to the Rising Sun flag, what many see as a symbol of Japan’s war crimes during the 20th century, and the swastika flag of Germany’s Nazi Party.

The exhibition started out with a critical attitude toward the Japanese government and the IOC, both of which determined that there were no issues with the Rising Sun flag being displayed by fans at the Tokyo Olympics, which are scheduled to begin in July. The artists, whose general artistic activities are characterized by social engagement, agreed on an approach of raising issues about the use of the Rising Sun flag on clothing and in comics, while also noting the resemblance between the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games medal image and the flag. The 14 participating artists, who represent a range of genres including painting, pop art, and music, are Goh Geun-ho, Kim Moon-sung, Ryu Beom-yeol, Park Geon, Park So-san, Park Jae-dong, Oh Jong-seon, Bae Min-sin, Seo Dong-hwan, Seung Ji-na, Lee Ha, Ju Hong, Choi In-seon, and Hong Sung-dam.

Hong Sung-dam’s painting “Nabe Begot Abe.” (provided by Gallery Think Box)

“Boomerang,” an installation work by Goh Geun-ho in which red nails and scissors have been embedded in a model of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, carries a message of warning that Japan’s current right-wing lurch could end up “boomeranging” back as a threat in the future.

Park Jae-dong’s painting “Rising Sun” shows a young girl lying with a knife in her back inside of a Rising Sun flag, expressing a critical message about the suffering of comfort women survivors and Japans’ lack of remorse.

Hong Sung-dam’s painting “Nabe Begot Abe” imitates Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” to target conservative South Korean politicians seen as supporters of the Abe administration. Ju Hong presented a “2020 Tokyo Rising Sun Flag” work that represents the Olympic rings with a nuclear waste warning symbol, the Rising Sun flag, and a skeleton.

Once the novel coronavirus outbreak calms down, the artists plan to wage a “Rising Sun flag expulsion campaign” involving performances calling for discontinuation of the flag’s use.

Ju Hong, who curated the exhibition, explained, “With the IOC and other Westerners showing no interest in Japan’s past crimes, the Rising Sun flag is accepted without any critical attitude.”

“This exhibition was developed to raise awareness that the Rising Sun flag is a war crime flag like the Nazi flag and a symbol of mass slaughter,” she said.

By Kim Yong-hee, Gwangju correspondent

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