“For Placards” at the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto Until November 29; Seven Artists, Starting from the Words of Mitsuko Tabe

The exhibition “For Placards” is on view at the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto (Chuo Ward, Kumamoto) until Sunday, November 29, 2026. Taking as its starting point “For the Placard,” a text written in 1961 by artist Mitsuko Tabe (1933–2024), it brings together works by seven artists, including Tabe. It is a touring version of the exhibition held at the National Museum of Art, Osaka from November 2025 to February 2026, with the number of works and some of the works changed to suit the venue. Admission is 1,300 yen for adults.

What is Mitsuko Tabe’s “For the Placard”?

Mitsuko Tabe was born in 1933 in Taiwan under Japanese rule and was based in Fukuoka. A key member of the avant-garde art group Kyushu-ha from its founding, she died in 2024.

The text “For the Placard” was published in the magazine “Kyushu-ha 5” (issued September 10, 1961). In it, Tabe speaks of “making placards that can take in the energy of the masses.” The Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto regards the text as showing the thought process that led to her work “Placard,” and also as readable as a manifesto by an artist engaged with society.

“Placard,” also from 1961, is regarded as the work in which that thinking came to fruition. It is a collage in five parts and was shown at that year’s “Kyushu-ha Exhibition” (Ginza Gallery, September 14–19). Today three of the parts are in the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and two in the Fukuoka Art Museum. “Artificial Placenta” (1961) no longer exists, but the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto owns a 2004 re-creation. The exhibition shows 26 works by Tabe.

What can visitors see? The seven artists and their works

The exhibition consists of works by artists who, while rooted in their own lives, have reflected on living and dignity. Their means of expression vary, including video, installation, photography, painting and sculpture, and they pose questions to existing systems and structures. The exhibition aims to look again at the past and the present and to explore ways of resisting and the meaning of expression. The six artists other than Tabe and their main works are as follows.

• Satoko Ushijima (born 1958 in Fukuoka Prefecture): Starting with paintings on shaped canvases, she moved her base to Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, in the late 1990s and uses local materials. She shows the installation “Hitori Demotai: Broom * Brush * Candle,” made up of “shaped washi characters”

• Lieko Shiga (born 1980 in Aichi Prefecture): She moved to Miyagi Prefecture in 2008 and creates work based on her experience of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. She shows the video installation “When the Wind Blows” (2022–25) and two photographs. “Hiroko, Hiromi,” which depicts photographer Hiromi Furusato and artist Hiroko Saito, is also on display

• Shingo Kanagawa (born 1981 in Kyoto Prefecture): He presents photographs of people close to him and also writes and runs workshops. He shows two series, “Prayer / Nagasaki” and “A Bright, Nice Room”

• Sawako Tanizawa (born 1982 in Osaka Prefecture): Using non-art materials such as ceramic paper, she focuses on voices that have been drowned out. She shows “Small Voices,” made of small ceramic-paper “placards,” the paper-cut series “Dear Chieko” and “A Bright New Road Opening Before Me”

• Yuki Iiyama (born 1988 in Kanagawa Prefecture): Drawing on archival records and interviews, she examines the relationship between individuals and society and history. The exhibition shows works from early pieces, such as “Going to Meet the Kannon of the Sea” (2014/2020), to recent ones. “In-Mates” (2019) is shown at three screenings during the run

• Yuriko Sasaoka (born 1988 in Osaka Prefecture): She makes video works using puppet theater, CG compositing and other techniques. She shows early video works and the new work “Working Pig” (2026)

Related events: screenings, a dialogue and a three-way talk

At the opening, an artist talk by six of the exhibiting artists and the exhibition’s curator, Sachiko Shoji (chief researcher, National Museum of Art, Osaka) (September 19), and a commemorative lecture by Shoji (September 20) were held. The main upcoming events are as follows; all take place in the Home Gallery, are free and are first come, first served on the day.

• Sunday, October 25, 14:00–15:00: Screening of Yuki Iiyama’s “In-Mates” and online after-talk. The guest is poet and rapper FUNI. The running time is 26 minutes 50 seconds, followed by about 20 minutes of commentary and about 10 minutes of Q&A. Capacity 70

• Sunday, November 15, 14:00–15:30: Dialogue between Shingo Kanagawa and Ikuo Gonoi (political scientist). Introducing Kanagawa’s artmaking and his participation in demonstrations, they will discuss working without separating art, daily life and politics. Capacity 90

• Saturday, November 21, 16:00–17:00: Screening of “In-Mates” and online after-talk. The guest is historian Masaru Tonomura. Capacity 70

• Saturday, November 28, 14:00–15:30: Three-way talk with Lieko Shiga, Hiromi Furusato and Hiroko Saito. The three have worked together in recent years at a studio in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. They will talk about creative activity in Ishinomaki, their studio, and the content of and ideas behind their photo shoots. Capacity 90

Satoko Ushijima’s workshop on Saturday, November 14, “Making Japanese Candles and Wooden Candlesticks from Things Around You,” has reached capacity and is closed to applications.

Tickets, prices and access

Admission is 1,300 yen for adults, 1,000 yen for seniors (65 and over) and 800 yen for students (high school and older); junior high school students and younger are free. For groups of 20 or more, or on presentation of a one-day train or bus pass or similar, it is 1,100 yen for adults, 800 yen for seniors and 600 yen for students. Those showing a disability certificate and one companion, and those showing a “Welcome Passport,” are free. Tickets are sold at the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto.

Opening hours are 10:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30). The museum is closed on Tuesdays; it opened on November 3 and closes on November 4 instead.

The museum is on the 3rd floor of “Bipres Kumanichi Kaikan” in Kamitori-cho, a 1-minute walk from the Torichosuji tram stop and bus stop. From JR Kumamoto Station it takes about 15 minutes by streetcar or bus, and from Aso Kumamoto Airport about 40 minutes by airport bus; in both cases, get off at Torichosuji.

Editor’s perspective

A placard is also a tool for showing an individual’s voice to society. Taking the text Tabe wrote in 1961 as a clue, the exhibition links the different forms of expression of six artists. As the topic of joining demonstrations in the November 15 dialogue suggests, it is structured so that visitors consider the works together with the artists’ ways of engaging with society.

The Kumamoto venue is co-organized by the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, the National Museum of Art, Osaka and Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun, and the exhibition is curated by Sachiko Shoji of the National Museum of Art, Osaka. Exhibiting artist Lieko Shiga opens her solo exhibition “Nanumo Kanumo” at the Aomori Museum of Art on October 31. In Kyushu, “A Walking Guide to Asian Art: South Asia Special Edition” is also on view at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum until January 11, 2027.

Overview

Name: For Placards
Dates: Saturday, September 19 – Sunday, November 29, 2026
Hours: 10:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30)
Closed: Tuesdays (open on September 22 and November 3), September 24, November 4
Venue: Galleries I and II, Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto
Address: Bipres Kumanichi Kaikan 3F, 2-3 Kamitori-cho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto
Admission: Adults 1,300 yen, seniors (65 and over) 1,000 yen, students (high school and older) 800 yen, junior high school students and younger free (groups of 20 or more, or on presentation of a one-day train or bus pass or similar: adults 1,100 yen, seniors 800 yen, students 600 yen)
Organizers: Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto (Kumamoto City, Kumamoto City Art and Culture Promotion Foundation), National Museum of Art, Osaka, Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun
Curator: Sachiko Shoji (chief researcher, National Museum of Art, Osaka)
Official website: https://www.camk.jp/exhibition/placard/
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Mitsuko Tabe, “Placard,” 1961, collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (image from the National Museum of Art, Osaka venue) (from a press release by the Agency for Cultural Affairs)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto (July 14, 2026) and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team