Akira Tatehata (Professor, Japanese Modern Art, Tama Art University)
| DATE: | Thursday, February 6, 2003 |
|---|---|
| TIME: | 4:00-6:00 p.m. |
| PLACE: | IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St., 6th Floor |
| FORMAT: | Colloquium |
| SPONSOR: | Center for Japanese Studies |
How can the originality of art movements in postwar Japan be evaluated and reconciled with the noteworthy simultaneity they shared with contemporary movements in the West?
This presentation will examine the activities of the Gutai group and Mono-ha, the two most important vanguard movements in postwar Japan. The Gutai group, formed in 1954 in Osaka and considered to be akin to Abstract Expressionism, were pioneers of later directions in art such as "Happening" performance art, "Environmental Art" and Conceptual Art. Mono-ha, on the other hand, a movement that emerged in Tokyo in the late '60s, was more limited in scope and favored a material-based approach that bore an indirect relationship to Minimalism. These two movements offer us a unique perspective on the international dynamics of postwar Japanese art.
