In this final chapter, I examine the power inherent in contemporary art created after 3/11. Even though my field of study is cinema, I wanted to verify if the cultural current observed in post-3/11 cinema is also present in other cultural domains, such as the field of contemporary art. Cinema is not necessarily identical with contemporary art; film and artwork are traded and circulated within their respective markets. In the case of film, it is generally the product of collective work, though the scale may vary, while in the case of contemporary art, it is the product of the individual artist. Of course, there are some films and contemporary artworks for which these generalizations do not apply. Nonetheless, I sensed that many contemporary artists who have tackled societal issues after 3/11 may have something in common with filmmakers. I wish to examine the transitions in the cultural domain of post-3/11 Japan by examining the role of art, including the power to resist the contradictions that dominate the era.

The relationship between art and politics is indeed complex. Political works of art exist in all ages; however, some artists tend to pursue the goal of achieving universality by associating themselves with aesthetic values or imagination rather than with political claims that inevitably confine them and their work to a specific time.