"War is hell,"

A statement that links Kim Jones and Yukinori Yanagi. Ironic that of the two artists, both attempting to understand and extricate the meaningless suffering of human tragedy that is encompassed within war, it is Yanagi that has been able to find a firm foothold to understand the limited scope of human nature. Japan was burdened with a portion of blame for antagonizing Britain and American forces to enter World War II. This proud heritage faced the burden of defeat. Similarly American supremacy, or any nationalistic patriotic construct for that matter, relies on the strength of the conviction of it congregation, as do the divisive claims of religious fanaticism whose belief of elevated favor fly in the face of reason -- if each of us are indeed metaphorical brothers and sisters. Though Yanagi is indebted to the influence of the western thought, the individualistic almost renegade willfulness to affect, or establish, a community, compared with the eastern traditions of harmony; it is the fusion of intellectual expose' and understated simplicity that captures ones attention.
While Jones intimates change as a constant, the elevation of conflict based upon either/or options seems simplistic. I would possibly buy into a subtext if the puerile X/O designation was borrowed from a classic game of tic tac toe, or the loving postscripts placed upon letters designating a hug and kiss as symbols of a literal battle of the sexes. Perhaps he is more akin to Icarus as a tragic example of hubris and failed ambition. Jones appears to embody the very defects of the ideology he risked his life to uphold, during a year long journey as a Marine from 1962-3 during the Vietnam War. A contemporary of Chris Burden, Paul McCarthy, and Barbara T. Smith, whose body-based art could be a distilled commentary on issues including war, violence, cruelty, civil rights, and sexual liberation. Chris Burden's choice to shoot himself in the arm may have been mere stupidity, as well as an attempt to test the limits of the mind and body pain threshold. The burning of an actual living creature is cruelty. Ain't Nobody's Business if You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in a Free Society offers powerful moral and pragmatic arguments for tolerating activities that many consider immoral and/or dangerous: prostitution, drug use, gun-ownership, alcohol consumption, pornography, and sexual activities among consenting adults. The late Peter McWilliams argues that, "You should be allowed to do whatever you want with your own person and property, as long as you don't physically harm the person or property of another." Without such tolerance, there is no freedom, which is necessary for individual growth and development. Personally Jones choice to burn actual rats crossed a moral boundaty to the criminal. While I admire the ability of Yukinori Yanagi to elevate an ant from it mere existence as gatherer, I too question the ethical treatment of any life force - especially one imprisoned within a glass.
If the precepts of freedom in regards to expression are to be upheld for all people, which is one of the more divergent aspects of American culture. It is easy to see why foreign artists and educators are numbered among the first casualties of any war - we are the most outspoken. The massacre of Tiananmen Square is a recent reminder of the depths a government will descend to contain revolt. Art is unique in the aspect that it crosses cultural and linguistic boundaries, capable of creating its own language and relevance. One of the earliest applications of artistic endeavor is the act of propaganda. We can look to the Assyrian Llamassu who were examples of the earthly association with supernatural deity. The ancient column of Hammurabi, paintings by Jacques-Louis David, and posters of Uncle Sam. Both Jones and Yanagi seem to have experienced the disenchantment of Oz, the moment when Dorothy discovers the ordinary man behind the curtain. For Yanagi, and others who have grappled with the creation of art in the aftermath of war, atrocity, and devastation the constructs that define the borders of our world are exposed as the weak systems of control, fear mongering, and complacency that they espouse. Yet in this betrayal rays of hope emerge; that of humanity, charity, and determination, these elements of the human spirit which must be drawn out through trial.