About the Drafting of the Aichi Protocol
It was pronounced by Governor Ohmura Hideaki of Aichi Prefecture that the Aichi
Declaration/Protocol would be an appeal for freedom of expression to all the nations of theworld.
He also stated this in a letter addressed to the participating artists of Aichi Triennale
2019 on August 20, 2019. Apologizing for the disruption caused by the suspension of theTriennale’s “After ‘Freedom of Expression?’” exhibit, Governor Ohmura wrote that hewould in turn “propose the Aichi Declaration/Protocol as an appeal for freedom ofexpression to the nations and people of the world,” adding that he hoped to do so with thecooperation of the Triennale artists and curators.
The Aichi Declaration/Protocol began with a suggestion by Pedro Reyes, one of theTriennale curators, which Governor Ohmura then backed. Taking up the challenge, wewere among a group of Triennale artists who felt it was important for the drafting of theAichi Declaration/Protocol to be an artist-led initiative, and not left to government officials.
And we wanted the process to be open to the public.
Behind this was the strong conviction that, undeterred by the Aichi incident, a site
had to be established for balanced discussion about art and society, and also that the Aichi
Protocol should above all not be turned into a “political event.” This is why we were
determined not to stop at making an abstract declaration but to establish a protocol
addressing concrete points.
Led by the volunteer artists, a team of diverse experts including curators, membersof an artist association, art managers, an art critic, a gallerist, and a lawyer specializing inart and law worked on the text together. This was followed by a discussion of the protocol
contents with international visitors in conjunction with the Aichi Triennale 2019
International Forum, held October 5 at the Aichi Arts Center. The next day, October 6, open
“audience meetings” with art and legal experts were convened simultaneously in Nagoyaand Tokyo, where we listened to the frank comments of the public—starting with thepeople of Aichi Prefecture—and integrated them into the document.
It was at this time that Fujii Hikaru, Murayama Goro, and Odawara Nodoka wereappointed as artist representatives to the Protocol Drafting Working Group (hereafter,Drafting WG). The other members of the Drafting WG included the Triennale artistic
director and curators, members of the Aichi Triennale Next Step Committee, the Aichi
Prefectural Museum of Art, and an outside advisor.
On October 9, the artist draft of the Aichi Declaration/Protocol was published on theTriennale website, and feedback solicited from the general public. The final draft wassubsequently completed over the course of several negotiations between the Aichi
Triennale and the Drafting WG.
The Aichi Declaration/Protocol is not a political performance. It is a concrete
protocol for implementing art and cultural projects. It was drawn up with great care byartists for the sake of realizing art and cultural projects with autonomy from all power
structures. And in the process of its finalization it has incorporated contributions fromexperts, ordinary citizens including the people of Aichi Prefecture, and the diverse
viewpoints of the general public.
The Aichi Declaration/Protocol was created so that we could learn from theexperience of Aichi Triennale 2019 and pass it on to posterity as an event that willcontribute to the future of art and society. In order for art to never again be suppressed byhatred and exclusion, and for the protection of freedom of expression and the public’s rightto appreciate art in all its diversity, we hope that the Aichi Declaration/Protocol will be
widely approved and endorsed by art festivals and exhibitions starting with the next Aichi
Triennale, and instituted across all societies.
Fujii Hikaru, Murayama Goro, Odawara Nodoka
Aichi Declaration/Protocol Drafting Working Group
December 18, 2019