Taboo and ignorance in Japanese war-time history

Yoshiko Shimada (b. 1959 in Tokyo) lives and works in Chiba, Japan. Shimada received her Ph.D. from Kingston University, London, in 2015. She explores the themes of cultural memory and the role of women in the Asia-Pacific War, as both aggressors and victims. As methods of expression, she uses printmaking, installation, video, performance, research and archiving. She also works as an art historian and archivist. Her research interests include art and politics in the post-war Japan, alternative art education, and feminism. Her works have been shown widely in exhibitions such as “Fanatic Heart”, Para Site, Hong Kong (2022-2023), “Japan Unlimited”, Museums Quartier Wien (2019), “After ‘Freedom of Expression?’”, Aichi Triennale (2019) and “Beyond Hiroshima” Tel Aviv University Art Gallery (2015). She currently lectures on feminism and art at the University of Tokyo.