卒業・修了展によせてUpon Our Graduation and Completion Works Exhibitions

　今年も、東京藝術大学美術学部の卒業・修了作品展を迎えることができました。
　2020年に突如世界中を襲ったコロナ禍や2022年のウクライナ侵攻や電力料金高騰などがもたらした鬱屈した社会情勢の中、本学でもアトリエや工房などの学内施設の使用を断続的に制限せざるをえない状況に陥りました。
ようやく昨年から徐々にコロナ禍前の本来の創作学習環境に復帰しつつありますが、今年の卒業・修了作品展に出展した学生は、入進学からほぼ３年の間、先輩方に比較すると必ずしも恵まれていたとは言い難い環境の中で、自らの制作や思索に向かうことを余儀なくされました。
　コロナ禍や国際問題は、制作研究環境には大きなマイナスでしたが、自らを取り巻く複雑な社会の在り方について深く考える契機となり、新たな視点を得ることにも繋がったのではないかと感じています。そこで得た思考や着想は、今年の卒業・修了作品展で展示発表された多種多様な作品や論文に明らかに投影しています。
ただし、制作や執筆に費やした膨大な時間とエネルギーが満足いく成果に繋がったと、自信を持って言い切れるのは少数で、多くは不完全燃焼のまま、何かしらの不満を抱えた状態かと思います。作品や論文の完成度に不満を持ち、また他者からの評価にも納得出来ない鬱屈した想いを抱えた人の方が、ずっと多いのではないかと思います。また、卒業・修了制作を終えて学生生活に一区切りがついてみて、改めて将来への不安が湧き上がってくる人も多いことでしょう。
　しかし、本人の思いはどうあれ、卒業・修了制作を通じて、得たものは大きいと思います。全員が階段を一段登ったことは間違いなく、この展覧会が今後の飛躍のジャンプ台としての役割を果たすものと信じています。
　末筆になりましたが、今回卒業・修了作品展で展示・発表を行った学生は、ご親族をはじめこれまで多くの方々のご支援ご指導を受けてまいりました、その全ての皆様に深く感謝いたします。また今回の卒業・修了作品展開催にあたって、ご支援をいただいた方々へも心より御礼を申し上げます。

The season for the Tokyo University of the Arts graduation and completion works exhibitions has arrived again.
These past few years we were sometimes forced to restrict the use of the studios, workshops and other on-campus facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s sudden emergence in 2020, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from early 2022, soaring electric power rates and other discouraging global and domestic developments.
Since last year, however, we’ve seen signs of a return to the essential learning environment that existed before the COVID crisis. During their roughly three years in our programs, however, the students exhibiting their graduation and completion works did not have the same learning opportunities their predecessors enjoyed. They also often struggled with their creative works and thoughts and to make other progress.
While those adverse factors severely affected their creative and research environments, they also had opportunities to contemplate the complex nature of the surrounding social fabric. I’m confident that these influences helped them discover some unique perspectives. The richly diversified range of artwork, dissertations and other fruits displayed this year clearly reflect such visions and concepts.
I also sense that many of our students cannot confidently state that the massive time and energy devoted to their creations and writings led to fully satisfying results. Many appear to harbor dissatisfactions reflected in what I would describe as feelings of “incomplete combustion.”
In fact, I imagine that many students are a bit downhearted about the perceived unfinished status of their creations and papers, and the shortage of evaluations from peers and others. While finishing up their graduation and completion works, they would sense their student years ending, and perhaps be gripped by new anxieties regarding the future.
Despite all that, these students have clearly benefitted from the creative processes of fashioning their graduation and completion works. I firmly believe they have taken a critical step in their development, and that these exhibitions will serve as a springboard in rising to meet the challenges and trials that lie ahead.
The students taking part in this year’s exhibitions have received vital encouragement and guidance from their family members and others, and I extend my heartfelt gratitude to those supporters. Finally, let me thank those who have assisted in the planning and execution of these fine exhibitions.