Art Becomes Protest against Tokyo Olympics

The Japanese public mostly opposes holding the Tokyo Olympics next month during a pandemic. However, public protests to show such dissent¹ have been rare.

A different way people have expressed their concern about the Olympics has been art. They have protested through messages on clothing, paintings and other art forms.

In some cases, officials have demanded the sometimes satiric² art and other products be removed. Artists say their freedoms are being taken.

Miwako Sakauchi is among them. On this day, she stands in her workroom and paints on torn cardboard and drawing paper. She uses the five colors that represent the modern Olympics.

Sakauchi calls the series of paintings, Vortex. She said they express what she called the, "anger, fear, sense of contradiction and state violence" over Olympics preparations. People have been forced from their homes and trees have been cut down to build huge sports centers for the games, she said.

"I can't think of it as a ‘festival of peace' in this situation," Sakauchi said. "It's totally nonsensical."

The risk of infection from the virus may have prevented some people from taking to the streets to protest. Recent public protests in Japan have been small, with crowds of less than 100 people.

Sakauchi created the paintings after she was contacted by a group of artists who organized an anti-Olympics art event last summer. Her works were shown in another event in February.

Kai Koyama is the main organizer of the anti-Olympics art event in February. He said it is his professional duty to protest although he knows many Japanese are uneasy about doing so.

The 45-year-old told The Associated Press, "We're artists. We wouldn't exist if we didn't express ourselves." More than 20 artists have gathered for the project.

Some creators of anti-Olympics art say their freedom of expression has been restricted, even though public disapproval³ of the games is growing.

Designer Susumu Kikutake owns P&M clothing in Tokyo. He had been making anti-Tokyo games designs for his clothes even before the COVID-19 crisis. Back then, he was protesting corruption⁴ surrounding the Tokyo event. He received sharp criticism on the internet for his work and sold few pieces.

But during the recent increase in virus cases and public opposition⁵ to the Games, dissent, the artist says demand for his products has greatly increased. He sold 100 anti-Games clothing products in April and 250 in May.

Kikutake said the increase shows public displeasure against a lengthened⁶ state of emergency issued by the government.

Kikutake said, "My kids' sports events and school trips have been canceled, and we have forced to put up with it... but they say they can hold the Olympics." It angers him that the prime minister does not explain why they are holding the Games, Kikutake said. "He just keeps saying it will be ‘safe and secure,'" he added.

The Tokyo Games' organizing committee demanded Kikutake stop the production of clothing products. He said they argued that his work violates copyright laws. So, he created a new design that includes fewer Olympic circles and a misspelling of Tokyo as "Okyo."

Similar attempts to satirize⁷ the Tokyo Olympics have been suppressed by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, saying it was due to copyright issues.

The organizing committee told AP that protecting owned image rights is important for Olympic financers who have paid to use copyrighted Olympic images. The committee would not comment on individual cases, however.

Words in This Story

accumulate – v. to gather or acquire (something) gradually as time passes

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

pride – n. a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people

authoritarian⁸ – adj. expecting or requiring people to obey rules or laws : not allowing personal freedom

ally – n. a country that supports and helps another country in a war

1 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

2 satiric   

adj.讽刺的，挖苦的

参考例句：

• Looking at her satiric parent she only gave a little laugh.她望着她那挖苦人的父亲，只讪讪地笑了一下。
• His satiric poem spared neither the politicians nor the merchants.政客们和商人们都未能免于遭受他的诗篇的讽刺。

3 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 lengthened   

（时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了。
• He wanted to have his coat lengthened a bit. 他要把上衣放长一些。

7 satirize   

v.讽刺

参考例句：

• Somebody satirize that the general's lacking in courage.有人讽刺这位将军缺乏勇气。
• Luxun created such an image to satirize.鲁迅是为了讽刺才塑造这样一个人物形象的。

8 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。