千賀 健史、林田 真季

Kenji Chiga, Maki Hayashida

During the 1990s and 2000s, the illegal dumping of industrial waste was a major source of revenue for Japan’s underworld. A city worker tasked with addressing industrial waste investigated the realities of illegal dumping, building trust with those involved and successfully cracking down on the issue. As a result, the number and volume of illegal dumping cases decreased significantly. However, the worker remarked, “Many have now turned to other means to generate profit,” revealing deeper fractures within society. This exhibition delves into these transitions through Hayashida’s exploration of illegal dumping and Chiga’s focus on special fraud. As legislation and environmental changes eroded revenue sources, the underworld adapted, creating new methods and perpetuating their cycle in evolving forms. This revenue structure is deeply tied to the actions and systems we unconsciously sustain in everyday life. The convergence of seemingly unrelated social issues reveals connections between our daily lives and the underworld. The works in this exhibition reflect the fractures in society and challenge us to confront our own unwitting complicity.