AUTHORIZE EXTREMIST

2008.2.28

ARAI Shin-ichi (Tokyo,Japan)
"Happy Japan!"

ARAI said
In 1999, Japanese diet decided what are Japanese flag and Japanese anthem in the law.
Before there was no law for Japanese flag and the national anthem. Now in some school ceremonies like graduation, People should show Japanese flag and sing the national anthem. And sometimes teachers and students who do not like to respect the flag and sing the national anthem in the ceremony are punished by the director because of the law now.
Before there was some agreement among people with Japanese flag was symbol of militarism and the anthem celebrate the Emperor in spite of them not agreeing.

From '92 to '94 as a member of Japan Overseas Cooperate Volunteers something like the Peace Corp of United State,
I lived Zanzibar, Tanzania and I taught wood block printing to Zanzibar young artists at the art school of Nyumba ya Sanaa, Zanzibar. Before I went to Tanzania , all members of volunteers had to meet the Emperor who is the hornoly president of the organization. I wanted not to meet him. But if I did not meet him I could not go to Tanzania. So I did meet him. In Tanzania we got 200USD per month for meals, books and patrols for motor bike from the organization. Those days (also now days) Tanzanian people got 30USD per month from their jobs as usual. In Tanzanian bars, I had a lot of girl friend who loved my money.

ARAI showed audience the Japanese Passport which has the emblem of chrysanthemum which is almost same as the emblem of
the Emperor family.

ARAI showed the Japanese passport over his ass hole.
Then put it off and showed his real ass hole.

ARAI sung Japanese National anthem
"Kim ga Yo" means "Long live our Emperor"
with having a shit down red paint.
ARAI was dancing in cercle.




ARAI Said
In 1997, The Manga (comic book) "The War Theory" by KOBAYASHI Yoshinori was published.
In his Manga, KOBAYASHI says that Japan must have more military power.
We Japanese must have a patriot spirit.
There was no Nanjing genocide by the Japanese Emperor army. There were no Korean or E.A. women sex slaves in the Japanese Emperor army. They were only commercial prostitutes.
More than a million people bought copies of this Manga and almost all of them are under 30.


He then tore out each page of the comic book, giving some of the pages to the audience and keeping some to put in his mouth to chew on.
Then ARAI shouted "Happy Japan!"
again and again until he can not do it.


Shouted "Happy Japan!"

ARAI Shin-ichi (Tokyo,Japan)
"Happy Japan!"

"Happy Japan!"
The work explores sevaral issues involved in relation to contemporary national devotion
ARAI Shin-ichi lives and works in Tokyo. He studied his B.A. in Chinese modern literature at Tokyo Metropolitan University under Mr.llKURA Shohei. Later he majored in printmaking (Intaglio/Copper printing) from 1981 to 1987 under ex Mr.YOSHIDA Katsuro (Mono-ha group.) He also began experimenting in sound, voice and language performance actions since 1982. As a Japan Overseas Cooperative Volunteer he taught at Nyumba ya Sanaa Art school in Zanzibar, Tanzania 1992-94 where he experienced various insights into the relationship between culture and politics in contemporary society. This led to his radical social-political performances today. In his raw and direct style, ARAI's body appears as a site of social tension presented with humor yet biting criticism. Often exposing the conservative and xenophobic cultural tendencies and contradictions in global and local situations. Besides performing regularly in Japan, ARAI has also presented his works internationally and especially in China such as Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Xian, Chengdu, Changchun, and Beijing. He is based inTokyo with a body of works that is quite unusual among the contemporary artists in Japan. He is the director of Small East Asia Co-Prosperity Restaurant Live art festival in Japan. And recently the Asian curator of 8th Open Art Festival in Beijing,China.