Gutai, one of post-war Japan's most astonishing and provocative modern art movements ironically born in the highly traditional Kansai province, nestled between the Japanese cultural centers of Kyoto and Nara is now the subject of an historic exhibition at the Jeu de Paume. In 1954 the respected artist Yoshihara Jiro gathered together an innovative group of young artists engaged in extraordinary theatrical actions on stage and painterly experiments within their studios. For 18 years, several generations of artists within the group were known collectively by the name Gutai, which is generally translated as "concrete" in Japanese. The word is also associated with a conceptual notion of the use of tools and materials by the body. Many Gutai artistic concerns involved the discovery and application of what the artists termed "original materials" in an artistic expression. A famous example is Shiraga's mud paintings, in which his entire body became a human paintbrush imprinting marks on canvas after rolling in a mud bath. Or Tanaka's brightly lit and wearable electric lightbulb dress; which she once wore to an opening! This retrospective show provides an in-depth look at an Asian movement that was a major behind-the-scenes influence on famous artists and modern art movements in both Paris and New York. The American action painter Jackson Pollock was such a "fan" of Gutai, that he accompanied Michel Tapié, the French art critic to Japan for many fruitful meetings with members of the group. After Pollock's death, numerous catalogues and art reviews published by Gutai artists were found in his studio. Allan Kaprow of "'60s Happening" fame owes a creative debt to Gutai artists who were the first to stage such events. Their famous "Sky Festival" was perhaps the most poetic; in which hundreds of balloons floated into the air suspending enlarged paintings on light cotton banners over the city of Osaka. They were also far ahead of their time in regards to conceptual art, creating works in situ, and ephemeral installations. Only a few rare references and footnotes even mention the impact of Gutai in western art history books. In retrospect, this appears due to the youth and innocence of the artists in the marketing of great ideas as well as their geographic location: they were based in Osaka, rather than in a major art capital. People in the art world heard about them, but few could actually travel to Japan's Kansai province to experience the art movement firsthand. To understand the sometimes strange actions conceived by Gutai artists, it is necessary to remember that this art movement developed during a period of political and social tension. The country was still recovering from the war and the destruction left by atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki was still fresh in everyone's mind. The Gutai art manifesto called on artists to consider their situation as modern artists in a rapidly changing post-war Japan. While the nation as a whole was struggling to adjust, they, as artists, were challenged by the manifesto to look within to find new expressions that originated in their own country without seeking influences from abroad. In the exhibition's richly documented catalog, a fine text by Michael Lucken compares Yoshihara Jiro, Gutai's founder to a legendary Taoist shepherd named Huang Suoping. Through meditation he acquired the magic power of turning stones into sheep. This well-known legend has been a favorite subject for artists since the 15th century. The thought that through perseverance man can change the substance of the world around him is a recurrent theme in Yoshihara's culture. At the age of 50, he convinced a group of younger artists that it was possible to "bring matter to life." This ancient Taoist concept might be considered the key to understanding the work of Gutai. Shiraga Kazuo's paintings are now seen in major museums and galleries around the world. A Zen Buddhist monk, he is also known as "the Gutai artist who paints with his feet" which, in the western world, represents a contradiction. To say someone paints with his feet would normally imply that the work is badly painted, yet these powerful "foot-painted" works recall the famous Zen koan or puzzle: "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" "What are the forms of one foot painting?" "Gutai." "Gutai," through June 27, daily from noon to 7pm, closed Mon, Jeu de Paume 1, pl de la Concorde, 8e, Metro Concorde, tel: 01.47.03.12.50, 40F/30F. Rei Naito This month the Galerie Jennifer Flay features the work of contemporary Japanese artist Rei Naito. Conceived in Hiroshima, Naito's spacial works and environments such as "Apocalypse Place" (1986) and "All Existence is Being Called" (1997) have attracted a lot of attention abroad as her commanding yet politely poetic works were chosen to represent Japan at the Biennale in Venise. Naito's installations are composed of hundreds of tiny elements that are often made from organic substances such as grains, bits of wool, fabric or pieces of wood. These delicate objects that are rigorously posed in a particular order invite a meditative state. Her newest work, "Grace," is created entirely of pearls. In a calming, dreamy environment, Naito invites stressed-out Parisian viewers to join her on an introspective quest. Rei Naito, through May 29, daily 2-7pm, closed Sun/Mon,Galerie Jennifer Flay, 20, rue Louise Weiss, 13e, Metro Chevaleret, tel:01.44.06.73.60. |
