Ito Tari (1951–2021) began her career as a performance artist in the latter half of the 1980s and went on to perform throughout Japan as well as across Asia, Europe, and North America. After coming out as lesbian in a 1996 performance, she became an activist for the lesbian community, founding the Women’s Art Network (WAN) in 1994. She ran WAN until her departure from the organization in 2003 (WAN was maintained by other members until 2008), and operated PA/F Space, a site for artistic encounters and interaction, from 2003 to 2013.
Ito was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2019, but remained active and kept performing until her death on September 22, 2021.
This edition of the Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions presents an archival exhibition of Ito’s work, realized with the generous assistance of Tarinokai, an association established by Ito’s friends and supporters after her death. Organized with the help of Ohno Rei, Nishimura Yumiko, and Satokin, who have worked to catalogue materials related to Ito—including documentary footage, books, and ephemera—the exhibition looks back at the artist’s career and allows visitors to follow her intellectual trajectory.