2023

self-portrait.

There were many seats prepared. It was for a glamorous gala. “This way, please.” Led by the hand, we sat down. We had a lovely time together chatting. When we returned after leaving our seats for a little while, however, all the seats were gone. We wanted to talk more, but with no chairs, we had to leave the place.

Just like that, seats with various labels attached to them, such as genders, physical characteristics, roles, and places of origin, were prepared and put away. Our words were temporarily listened to and featured as representative voices of the labelled attributes. But once the chairs were gone, we were at times treated like uninvited guests, even by people with whom we had spent great times together at previous galas.

We are living, continuously. I therefore decided to prepare a chair by myself. But I will not make this just for myself to sit. I hold the chair above my head, like “hey, here is a chair,” so that it will be a landmark for everyone.

Mari Katayama

たくさんの席が用意されていました。華やかな催しがあったのです。「どうぞ」と手を引かれ、私たちは座りました。楽しいおしゃべりをして一度席を立ち、戻ると、いつの間にか椅子は無くなっていました。もっと話したかったけれど、椅子がないから、その場所から出ていきました。

そうやって、性別や体の特徴、役割、出身など、様々なラベルが貼られた椅子が用意され、片付けられていきました。私たちの言葉は「当事者のご意見」代表として一時的に取り上げられ、ひとたび椅子が無くなると、ハレを共に過ごしたはずの皆から、まるで腫れ物のように扱われることもありました。

私たちは生き続けています。だから私は自分で椅子を用意することにしました。でも、それを私だけの椅子にはしません。私は椅子を自分の頭の上に掲げます。「ここに椅子があるよ」と、皆の目印になるように。

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