You Can’t Get What You Want, 1970, 8mm film, 8 min

Rachel, a hippy, and middle-aged artist Barnard are naked dancing in the nature of Southern California.

Hi! Eckard, 1970, 8mm film

Idemitsu’s camera follows a gay man, Eckard.

Woman’s House, 1972, 16mm film, 13:40 min, color, silent

Taking place during the women’s liberation movement, Idemitsu filmed the Womanhouse which became her first 16mm film work. Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro jointly organized the Feminist Art Program at the California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) in 1971. The Cal Arts Feminist Art Program group performed for the audience at Womanhouse in 1972. They transformed an old run-down mansion in Los Angeles into Womanhouse. In the kitchen a progression of sculptured breasts gradually turned into fried eggs; one bathroom contained a mass of Tampax, and if you opened the linen closet you found a trapped mannequin.

Inner-Man, 1972, 16mm film, 3:40 min, color

Images of a dancing woman wearing Kimono is overlapped with another image of a dancing naked man. Based on the psychological concepts of C.G. Jung, the film explores women’s animus, an image of a man projected by her mental energy.

Next, 1973, film, 3:30 min, color

A film made using a work of Cindy Sherman, expresses Idemitsu’s free and easy sense of humor.

What a Woman Made, 1973, video, 10:50 min, b&w

In Idemitsu's seminal feminist video, the image of a tampon swirling in a toilet bowl slowly appears, as the artist speaks about the troubling roles, responsibilities and expectations of women in a clinical tone. Minimal in composition, What a Woman Made is a candid critique of the treatment of women in Japanese society.

At Santa Monica 1, 1973, film,, 5:30 min, color

A mindscape of an image of a woman who had a plastic surgery.

At Santa Monica 2, 1974, film, 3:40 min, b&w

This film is composed of different images of a girl, clouds, and trees.

Baby Variation, 1974, film, 8 min, color

The film shows vivid close-ups of an animal’s liver with the background music of “My Baby” by Janice Joplin.

At Yukigaya 1, 1974, film, 3 min, color

A comical mindscape, the film stars Sam Francis who was Idemitsu’s ex-husband.

Sam Are You Listening?, 1974, video, 60 min, b&w

Commissioned by the American Center Japan, Idemitsu made a video introducing her husband Sam Francis. She interviewed 5 people about their views of Sam Francis. Those who interviewed were Taeko Tomioka, Toru Takemitsu, Shuzo Takiguchi, Jiro Takamatsu, and Sazo Idemitsu.

At Yukigaya 2, 1974, film, 11:10 min, b&w

In this personal film made during when Idemitsu went back and forth between Japan and USA, the subjective gaze is depicted in the abstract images with high contrast.

At Santa Monica 3, 1975, film, 15:40 min, b&w

A mindscape in Santa Monica, where Idemitsu lived for 8 years.

Something Within Me, 1975, film, 9:30 min, color

This film shows lofty sentiments with music by Aki Takahashi. Idemitsu’s mental images are beautifully and sensuously filmed; a mass of snails intertwined as if copulating in a group; scarlet petals; curtains swing in the wind.

At New Mexico 1, 1975, film, 12:30 min, color

Under the wild cloudy skies of New Mexico, Idemitsu reflected on the history of the native Americans.

At Any Place 1, 1975, film, 16 min, color

Casted over the sky, images of people are suggested as shapes of clouds

At Any Place 2, 1975, film, 3 min, color

This film was made for a 3 minutes film festival held in Japan. A cup noodle is ready in 3 minutes.

Another Day of A Housewife, 1977, video, 9:50 min, color

This video was made in those days when I was really fed up with being a house wife. In the endless repetition of routine house chores I noticed another “me” was watching the house wife “me.” Who am I? What is it to live? I wanted to share these questions with others.

At Any Place 3, 1977, film, 3:40 min, color

Images of a beautiful mountain sunset overlaps images of a crowd walking in a hurry.

At Yukigaya 3, 1977, film, 2:30 min, color

This film shows colorful flowers, frame by frame, with some music. The trembling flower resembles a music symphony.

At Any Place 4: From The Tango of a Housewife by Yoneyama Mamako, 1978, film, 12:30 min, color

One of a series of Idemitsu’s works which deal with housewives buried in everyday life. Idemitsu overlapped a 16 mm work that had Yoneyama Mamako pantomiming in her “Tango of a Hosewife” for the Commemoration of the International Women’s year, 1975. Behind Mamako pantomiming as a housewife, there are clouds, sunsets and bonfires.

At Any Place 5, 1978, film, 12 min, color

One man’s life is expressed in a form of a mime with a factories’ chimneys are placed as its backdrop.

At Karuizawa 1, 1978, film, 8:10 min, b&w

This abstract film shows images of tree shadows or natural light of summer sky. Its use of special B/W film creates sharp contrasts depicting Karuizawa like another world.

Make Up, 1978, video, 9 min, color

In Idemitsu’s experiment using a video camera and monitor, the reflexive exercise looking into a mirror is swapped with the monitor, suggesting a reflection on the history of women’s relationship with makeup.

At Yukigaya 4, 1979, film, 16 min, color

In this personal film made during when Idemitsu went back and forth between Japan and USA, the subjective gaze is depicted in the abstract images with high contrast.

Housewives and a Day, 1979, video, 21:50 min, color

A plan of a house is presented at a middle-class housewives’ tea party, as a tool of psychological treatment and self-confirmation.

Shadow Part 1, 1980, film, 25:30 min, color

Like shadow, there is a certain dark part in the mind of a man. This is an aspect of a man’s personality which he usually is hesitant to admit. C.G.Jung, Swiss psychologist, called this dark aspect a shadow because it appears in personified forms when one dreams. In Idemitsu’s work Shadow, there is another monitor in the images of the main monitor. The inside monitor shows the mind of the outside characters; that is, the inside monitor’s characters are the shadows, the psychological projections of the outside characters. Since the issue of shadows is so complicated and hard to understand, Idemitsu selected examples that are specific and understandable, as well as familiar to women in their daily life.

My America, Your America, 1980, film, 10 min, color

What is America to her? Idemitsu, who lived in America for eight years, looks introspectively at herself and her strange connection with America.

Emotional Volatility About My Father, 1981, film, 5:50 min, color

This film is requiem for Idemitsu’s father’s death.

Shadow Part 2, 1982, video, 41:40 min, color

Animus Part 1, 1982, video, 13:10 min, color

Animus is one of the original psychological concepts of C.G. Jung. For women, Animus is an image of a man by projection of her mental energy. Animus has both good and evil sides. In this video, emergence of stubborn behavior and prejudice, an evil side, are indicated within women’s dialogue and behavior.

Animus Part 2, 1982, video, 19:40 min, color

Animus is one of the original psychological concepts of C.G. Jung. For women, Animus is an image of a man by projection of her mental energy. This video depicts image of “Animus” that Idemitsu felt from the performance “Hell’s Messenger” by Kiyoko Kishimoto.

Toryanse, 1982, film, 12:25 min, color

Depicts one weekend of a gay couple. The title “Touryanse” refers to a Japanese nursery rhyme.

Hideo, It’s Me, Mama, 1983, video, 27 min, color

In the early 1980’s an extravagant campaign to sell video equipment was mounted in Japan. Around the same time, there was a growing problem in which bored housewives were becoming over attached to their children, and finding it almost impossible to let them leave the family nest. Idemitsu felt that video and children were now being used as substitutes to fill the emptiness of the lives of many Japanese house wives. This disturbing development in Japanese society prompted her to make a video, a black comedy exploring the theme.

Great Mother (Harumi), 1983, video, 13 min, color

In this work, the subconscious problems of a daughter who rejects going school is illustrated based on the concept of the Great Mother, a psychological concept by C.G. Jung. The subconscious of the daughter is shown on the screen of the monitor in the scenes. When the daughter becomes violent, how does a personified great mother function?

Great Mother (Yumiko), 1983, video, 24:30 min, color

A calm, intelligent, understanding, and cooperative mother and the daughter who is always running after men. What she really wants is the unrefined mother’s warmth. However …..

Great Mother (Sachiko), 1984, video, 18:50 min, color

The relationship between the mother and daughter is psychologically very tight. The isolated husband is irritated and becomes violent whenever he drinks but the two women cannot understand the reason of his violence. The mother lets the daughter marry for appearance’s sake although in reality she hangs onto the daughter forever.

Play and Capriciousness, 1984, film, 15:50 min, color

The shadows render the state of mind of a mother whose children have grown and left the home.

Whispering Light, 1985, film, 10:50 min, color

In this emblematic personal film, light and shadow of plants is successfully constructed over the subjective gaze of the narrator who is working through her mother’s death.

The Marriage of Yasushi, 1986, video, 25:50 min, color

In the 1980s, the apparent Japanese economic prosperity was accompanied by a social defect, that of the dysfunctional family: a wife who serves her husband, a preoccupied businessman, and a mother who showers all her attention on her child who is left at home with the mother. The child, especially a son, becomes a replacement for her husband. Mother and son share an intimate life like lovers at home without the husband.

Yoji, What’s Wrong With You?, 1987, video, 18 min, color

Mama has plans for son Yoji even before his birth, plans that no one, not even her absent philandering husband or Yoji himself can persuade her to abandon. Stereotypically maternal manipulation conflicting with a son’s desire to live his own life is at the core of this work. The conflict is represented in a flatly lit, austere space, with a television playing a significant narrative throughout the piece. The push-and-pull of filial relations has a witty, incestuous bite.

Kiyoko’s Situation, 1989, 24:20 min, video, color

Kiyoko is a middle-aged housewife. She is trying to paint, after twenty years when she had to give up painting. Everyday problems will trap a woman if she has too much energy and ability to be wasted on house-works. The desire to express her identity has been repressed so long, and now it is coming out with a vengeance. The frustration over her suppressed desires drives her desperation. The greater her latent ability, the deeper her desperation. This film received awards from Mention Special du Jury categorie “EXPERIMENTAL” La mondiale de film et videos, Quebec, Canada in 1991, and Prix Procirep Section Fiction, Festival International de Videos et Films, Centre Audivisuel Simone de Beauvoir, Paris, France in 1992.

Kae, Act Like A Girl!, 1996, video, 47:20 min, color

The idea for this scenario came from a statement in Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, “No one is born a woman. One becomes a woman.” Idemitsu depicts a woman artist married to another artist and caught between the conflicting demands of housework and creativity. It was an attitude instilled in her as child because of the way her parents and school teachers behaved toward her. “Since you’re a girl, you should do the housework.” When she was deciding what to study, she repeatedly heard the words, “Because you are a girl…” The work follows Kae, who at first gives in to the societal oppression, but then fights back.

Past Screenings