Yoshiko Shimada - It’s Not Yours to Decide!

Oct 17, 2026

Press release and artist materials for Yoshiko Shimada’s solo exhibition “It’s Not Yours to Decide!”, running Sat. 15 April to Sat. 10 June 2023. It frames the show around women’s sexual and reproductive rights and the 1972 women’s organization Chu-pi-ren, including media portrayals and calls to re-examine its actions. Includes scheduled talk events, artist biography highlights, venue information, and Shimada’s statement addressing self-determination as an ungrantable right.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Press Release

Exhibition Overview

Talk Event

Artist’s Statement

Chu-pi-ren as a Prophet

Resurrecting the Chu-pi-ren

Press Release Yoshiko Shimada “It’s Not Yours to Decide!” Sat. 15 April – Sat. 10 June 2023 11:00-19:00 Closed on Sun. , Mon. and National Holidays Ota Fine Arts is pleased to present "It's Not Yours to Decide!", Yoshiko Shimada's first solo exhibition in 21 years. Since the late 1980s, Shimada has been working on the theme of women and war, and has long been at the vanguard of feminist art in Japan and abroad. She is also known as a scholar of avant-garde art in 1960s Japan. In this exhibition, Shimada will feature the Chu-pi-ren (Women's Union for Liberalization of Abortion and Legalization of the Pill), an organisation founded in 1972 to oppose the anti-abortion law and demand the lifting of the ban on the pill. The Chu-pi-ren, led by Misako Enoki, wore pink helmets with female symbols and engaged in radical and outrageous activities, which were widely covered by the media at the time, including weekly magazines and variety shows. Due to the way the Chu-pi-ren was portrayed in the media, the group is still being treated as a joke today, and not at all appreciated, even amongst feminists. Shimada, however, urges that the activities of the Chu-pi-ren, which clearly asserted women's "right to self-determination" regarding sexuality and reproduction, needs to be re-examined now. Sexual and Reproductive Rights are human rights that allow women to decide for themselves, and the idea that these rights should be guaranteed is globally recognized as a goal for achieving Gender Equ ality, one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . In Japan, however, the law requires spousal consent for abortion, even for unwanted pregnancies caused by domestic violence, and abortion surgeries are not covered by insurance. Women's health and human rights are still under the control of the state and its authorities. Shimada likens the Chu-pi-ren to a prophet (Sybil), and attempts to revive the spirit of the Chu-pi-ren, who acted proactively to win rights from the paternalistic autho rities. In this exhibition, we present photographic works, paintings, and video works that embody this determination. Rights are not something that someone hands you. And if someone tries to "grant" you the right concerning your own affairs, you should firmly declare: "It's Not Yours to Decide!" [Yoshiko Shimada] Born in 1959 in Tokyo. Lives and works in Chiba. Shimada graduated from Scripps College in 1982 and received 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 asan 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), "Spirit Labor: Duration, Difficulty, and Affect", GARAGE Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow (2021-2022),“Japan Unlimited”, MuseumsQuartier Wien (2019),“After ‘Freedom of Expression?’”, Aichi Triennale (2019) and “Beyond Hiroshima” Tel Aviv University Art Gallery (2015) . In 2017, she curated“From Nirvana to Catastrophe: Matsuzawa Yutaka and His ‘Commune in Imaginary Space’” at Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo. She currently lectures on feminism and art at the University of Tokyo. Talk Event Yoshiko Shimada × Hiroki Yamamoto (Cultural researcher) " Society and Art" Date: Sat. 15 April | Time: 16:00 - 17:30 Yoshiko Shimada × Akiko Shimizu (Professor, The University of Tokyo)"Feminism today and in the future” Date: Sat. 20 May | Time: 16:00 - 17:30 * Only in Japanese . * Further details will be announced on the website and SNS. OTA FINE ARTS 3F, Piramide Bldg. , 6-6-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan 106-0032 +81 (0)3 6447 1123 [info@otafine arts. com](info@otafine arts. com) [www. otafine arts

FAQs

What is the central theme of the exhibition “It’s Not Yours to Decide!”?

The exhibition emphasizes women’s right to self-determination, focusing especially on sexual and reproductive rights, and argues that these rights should not be controlled by the state or granted by others.

Who is Chu-pi-ren, and why is it discussed in the exhibition?

Chu-pi-ren is a women’s organization founded in 1972 to oppose anti-abortion law and demand lifting the ban on the pill. The document notes that the group was mocked and ostracized but insists its claims remain relevant.

When and where is the talk event scheduled?

Talk events are listed for Sat. 15 April (16:00–17:30) and Sat. 20 May (16:00–17:30), with further details to be announced on the website and SNS. The venue is Ota Fine Arts, 3F, Piramide Bldg., Roppongi, Tokyo.

Oct 17, 2026

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