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“Statue of a Girl of Peace

The artistic directors of the “Statue of a Girl of Peace” exhibition in Japan have requested Aichi Prefecture, the organizer of Aichi Triennale 2019, to reopen the exhibition. Aichi Prefecture closed the exhibition “After ‘Freedom of Expression?’” just three days after it opened, and now the exhibition’s directors are calling for the reopening of the exhibition before the end of the Triennale.

On Aug. 13, the exhibition’s directors told Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura that he must make “all efforts possible” to reopen the exhibition for the sake of artists and visitors” to the exhibition. They also called on the governor to create a “forum” for the prefecture and exhibition directors to discuss the reopening of the exhibition “as soon as possible.” The comfort woman statue is one of the artworks displayed in the exhibition at the Aichi Triennale, which began on Aug. 1 and is Japan’s largest international arts festival. The inclusion of the statue in the exhibition marked the first time the full statue of the girl, replete with a peace monument, was exhibited in a public art gallery in Japan. On Aug. 3, just three days after the exhibition opened, however, Governor Omura closed the “After ‘Freedom of Expression?’” exhibition, citing terror threats to the triennale by phone.

Despite the exhibition being shut down, the exhibition’s artwork, including the statue, still sit concealed behind a panel on the eighth floor of the Aichi Arts Center. The statue and other artwork in the exhibition have not yet been removed from the premises. The Aichi Triennale ends on Oct. 14.

By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent

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