Light over the last fields | E.B. Itso

Описание: Director and Artist Liaison Anders Jensen introduces the practice of E.B. Itso, his material choice and process in the context of his solo exhibition 'Light over the last fields'.

E.B. Itso’s practice investigates power structures and economic interests, and the effect they hold over our lives and the spaces in which we live. In both his life and his work, he is examining the spaces where the body of resistance meets architecture, directing attention onto that which most often avert their gaze.

This exhibition is a portrait of self-determination and negotiation of space.

Upon entering the gallery, the audience is met by an empty room, and to the left, a blockade. A rough wall and a small tower are pieced together of found materials. Corrugated metal plates are weathered and marked, unearthed from the remains of a defunct farm. Through the metal surface, faint sounds of shouting can be heard. The structure appears imposing, yet a set of steel steps offers a point of entry.

The work ‘Light over the last fields’ is intended to be climbed. The participatory installation introduces both a sense of unease and of discovery. Beyond the wall, twelve photographic works are hung, each partially excised, revealing a blank white field in the frame. The subjects seem to appear just out of view, obscured by the removal. The glaring white space poses questions. Is something being hidden, or has it been stolen? What once belonged in the image is now out of reach.
Once over the wall, the sounds become clearer, a video embedded in the tower. Archival documentary footage gives a glimpse into the movement and the protagonist that this exhibition takes as it’s point of departure. In the film, farmers are dragged off their land by police. They discuss the emotional cost of bearing arms against their oppressors.

‘Light over the last fields’ presents an exploration of the tactile and emotional landscape of resistance and defiance against motions of expropriation*, the nearly universal struggle to negotiate the borders of land and home.

Acting as both artist and a contemporary archaeologist, Itso questions the concepts of ownership and societal rights through the story of a farmer whose land is now a peninsula, surrounded by the runways of Tokyo’s Narita International Airport. This farmer, along with many others both past and present, have been pushing against the forced resignation of their land for decades. The photographs were taken by the artist at what remained of the farm in 2023.
The third runway of Tokyo’s Narita International Airport continues to be developed today.

*Expropriation refers to the process by which property, land, or resources are taken—typically by a state, institution, or dominant economic actor—from individuals or communities, often under claims of public interest or development.