At Machi Tawara's solo exhibition, tanka poems were written all over the venue

When I hear the word "solo exhibition," I think of a space where the works of a painter, photographer, or plastic artist are displayed, but the solo exhibition I came to on this day was not of a painter, photographer, or plastic artist, but of a poet. I came to a solo exhibition of Machi Tawara at the Kadokawa Culture Museum in Tokorozawa, Saitama.

It was my first time to see a poet's solo exhibition. The official page of the museum says that it was her "first full-scale solo exhibition," so I guess it is rare for a poet of Tawara's caliber to hold a solo exhibition. A poet's only work is the words her spins. What is the point of exhibiting them? Simply put, it would be an exhibition of materials.

When I stepped into the gallery where the solo exhibition was being held, there were of course books, interview articles, and other materials on display. However, they played a minor role, and the star of the show was the tanka poem. Here and there, words were printed as works of art by Machi Tawara. Words were written on the pillars, on the objects, on the swaying curtains, and the space was filled with words. I thought to myself as I was surrounded by tanka. This is a true tanka exhibition.

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