TOMIYAMA TAEKO

Collage and mixed media

28 3/4 X 20 1/4" MATTED

2008

Rough Seas and the Age of Exploration 8-2 Sino-Japanese War is part of the series, Hiruko and the Puppeteers (2008), and is one of the largest and most ambitious of the artist's career sustaining her longstanding focus on transnational history, warfare, and Japan's brutal colonization of its Asian neighbors. The nishiki-e (traditional multicolored Japanese woodblock prints) collaged into this work depict the pivotal naval clash of the First Sino-Japanese War (189495). The vivid, celebratory tones of nishiki-e, which glorified military victories through propaganda art are in stark contrast with haunting imagery that features ghostly figures and blood-stained scenes of Chinese civilians under the control of Japanese soldiers. This work exemplifies Tomiyamas sharp critique of imperialism, in which images of celebration and death are eerily juxtaposed. This unsettling and grotesque combination serves as a stark portrayal of imperialism itself, a theme that recurs throughout her work. It embodies Tomiyamas unwavering determination to confronts the grim and enduring legacy of imperialism and invites viewers to reflect on these harrowing histories.

As is customary in Japan, the artist's last name is recorded first.

2008

b. Japan, 1921-2021

Gift of Sakata Natsume in memory of her mother Tomiyama Taeko

2025.001.023