Artists select materials in the process of making works. The materials become the medium of artists’ imagination and technique to let them enter the world. An art work is a result of selection and process elaborated by an artist, but it is equally true that the specific characteristic or nature of materials tempted the artist into creation. That is, the substances composing a work of art are not just physical materials, but intrinsic reason for existence and essentially related to its substance.

On the other hand, plastic art making the most of the characteristic of materials led art to the new stage, where physical quality of materials is put forward. Therefore, in the process of making art, the positional relationship of subjective/objective that artists give a role to materials as a work of art has been questioned. Definition of art work was re-examined and some took radical attitude addressing the new relations between human-beings and materials. In this exhibition, the specific foci on materials that compose art works would bring viewers to the deeper understanding of art. Mainly 20th century art in Japan and Western countries are intended.

*image (left)
Flower, Red, 1986
© Susumu Koshimizu
courtesy of the artist and MOMAW