Two wrestlers c. 19th century

Curator: This arresting little carving, titled "Two Wrestlers," is attributed to Tomochika and dates from around the 19th century. It’s a Japanese sculpture made of wood and ivory, currently residing here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: My first thought is… tension! But playful tension. I mean, just look at their faces! There’s real strain and maybe even a bit of cheeky humor etched into those tiny expressions. Curator: Exactly! These are sumo wrestlers, and beyond the sporting context, wrestling in Japan has always carried ritualistic and spiritual significance. It's tied to Shinto beliefs about purity and strength, connecting humans to the divine. This is something about bodies colliding! Editor: Yes, and colliding specifically. I read it in a different light. Think about whose bodies get memorialized in art. These men's bodies – though they look, quite frankly, grotesque! They are not idealized athletic forms! That suggests a subversion of classical sculpture and its privileging of very specific physiques. Curator: I adore the challenge. You’re making me see the cheeky resistance of celebrating these very non-heroic physiques! And perhaps a comment on power. What looks like power, what does it mean to be victorious in a society, you know? All concentrated into this one little nugget of a carving. Editor: Precisely. And also…who gets to play? Are these two common folk allowed to engage in performative violence when society oppresses other groups and communities? I’m wondering about these potential tensions of cultural visibility and power within a very rigid social structure. Curator: Thinking of play I like the idea that there is an undeniable intimacy despite what’s depicted in struggle: This little sculpture holds big questions in this carving… the wood’s warmth juxtaposed with ivory’s refined polish, it creates an engaging visual friction too! Editor: It does invite us to consider how deeply art embeds us into its social and political dimensions; wrestling with representation, challenging norms and maybe finding surprising points of connection along the way!