Image: Mudam, Luxembourg ; Wm Johnston
Eiko Otake’s ‘A Body in Fukushima’ is scheduled for 17 October 2026 at 14:00 at Mudam Grand Hall + Jardin des Sculptures. The presentation is identified by the work’s title, the artist’s name, its date and time, and the Mudam venue listing.
Otake first visited Fukushima in 2011, after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. Between 2014 and 2019, she returned five more times with photographer and collaborator William Johnston, performing in the changed landscape for a camera alone.
The scale, contents and modes of presentation of ‘A Body in Fukushima’ vary according to the place, the hosting institution and the surrounding communities. At the core of each variant, Otake presents her body both in the irradiated landscape at a distance and in the immediate gaze of an audience during the public performance.
Otake offers her body as a conduit between Fukushima and elsewhere, wishing to challenge and change viewers’ sense of distance from the major catastrophes of their time. The Fukushima project has led to numerous exhibitions, screenings, talks and performances across the world.
Born and raised in Japan and a resident of New York since 1976, Otake is a movement-based, interdisciplinary artist. She worked for more than 40 years as Eiko & Koma, performing their own choreography, and since 2014 has directed her own projects.
