Japanese artists have been fascinated by Western culture since the Meiji period, borrowing and emulating its ideas while creating uniquely Japanese works. The new concepts of contemporary Western art of the 1950s were especially influential and have remained important over the past 60 years. Examples of this were the GUTAI and Mono-ha art groups. GUTAI was influenced by the abstract expressionism of the United States, but approached the genre with a physical sensation and nature that was specific to Japanese culture. Mono-ha was an anti-modernist movement whose members used basic materials such as rocks, wood, and cotton to reflect the Zen idea that one can find the origin of the universe in a tiny space or in objects and things that were discarded.
We believe that the emerging generation of Japanese artists are again giving a new expression to the rich culture of Japan through its current interpretation of the contemporary art of Western Europe. At the same time, we see Japanese culture being reflected in the works of Western artists, especially through the treatment of Japanese materials -- of which paper is extremely important -- and through understanding of the concepts of Japanese architecture with its reflection of nature: a structure is formed from a tree (pillars), mud (walls), and paper (for doors and partitions). No wall exists between rooms, and the paper-framed doors open and close by sliding, never separating the structure from the external world entirely.
The Material and Form exhibition will feature the works of Japanese artists Keigo Kamide and Haruko Sasakawa, and British artist Rachel Adams.
In it, we will explore the relationship between material and form in the three artists’ works, how these works reflect the history, society, and environment of each country, and what is the essence of the interplay between them.
