Naoya Inoue
Artist Profile
Many of Inoue's works are based on his experiences as an art teacher at Japanese middle schools. Using photography and mixed-media installations, he comments on the tidal forces of rebellion and conformity that dictate adolescent life. Fired for insubordination (having never played the sport, he refused to 'volunteer' to coach volleyball), Inoue is extremely critical of hierarchical systems, particularly Japan's Ministry of Education, which pressures teachers to follow a rigid and highly nationalist curriculum. Inoue is perhaps best known for his photographs of school events. Blurred to eliminate the individual characteristics of subjects, the images portray only an overwhelming group 'function'.Artist Statements
"All people, children especially, need the power of self-expression. We deserve to feel comfortable being exactly who we are. Allowing for people to express themselves is also how a democratic society gets its leaders, its technology and its enduring culture. When we feel unique, we feel confident and powerful. Therefore, a system that forces people to wear uniforms, blindly obey seniority and memorize the same propaganda-laced information is unquestionably anti-art, anti-individual and anti-democracy.""I was hired to teach art, but I wasn't allowed to teach art. The curriculum only called for students to copy famous impressionist works, copy yayoi period clay figures and copy the 'cute' manga drawings they see in magazines. I was ordered to give the highest grades to the students who could make the most realistic copies. Moreover, I was told that it would be improper for me to create and exhibit my own works of art.""
Selected Works
Photographs of School Events
Either photographed live or re-produced and edited from yearbooks and other materials,these images eliminate the individual and demonstrate the conformist nature of school functions.
