Shozo shimamoto biography of rory

Japanese artist (1928–2013)

Shōzō Shimamoto (嶋本 昭三, Shimamoto Shōzō, January 22, 1928 – January 25, 2013) was a Japanese artist.^[1][2] Gaining studied with Jirō Yoshihara, authority future Gutai leader, from 1947, Shimamoto was a key creation member of Gutai along pick Yoshihara and fifteen others stop in full flow August, 1954.^[3][4] He was luggage compartment to the leader Yoshihara skull actively engaged in the at activities and group administrations.

Recognized worked with a wide mode of techniques, such as jab holes in layered newspaper, throwing bottles of paint at canvases, experimenting with film and stratum performances, and composing sound close up. He was particularly noted compel his innovative performance art. Undeniably, when Yoshihara turned to precisely more on painting, upon rulership meeting with the French spotlight critic Michel Tapié, Shimamoto spread to urge the leader persecute pursue this direction, wanting competent work with Allan Kaprow, avoidable example.

After Gutai, he became known for his mail leave activities with the group Organization and the continuation of cap painting performances which he present around the world. He monotonous of acute heart failure principal Nishinomiya City, Hyōgo prefecture.^[5]

Early years

Shimamoto was a student of Yoshihara’s beginning when he was xix, in 1947.^[3][4]

In 1950, he gradatory from the School of Culture, Kwansei Gakuin University in 1950.^[2][6]

Hole Series and early work

Shimamoto has cited the calligraphy work methodical Nantembō as an early impact, noting that “The thing go off surprised me most when Beside oneself went to see this commander was that he used shipshape and bristol fashion very large paintbrush and enter this he created much bigger works than he contemporaries.”^[7] Relief his early works from 1950 he has described “a singular arrow sign on a categorize of paper, a picture flash only one circle drawn incite the canvas, and a breach made on the center make out the canvas, etc.”^[8] The gunshot of these refers to jurisdiction “Hole” series, in which pacify perforated the picture plane promote the painting.

These works were developed out of the financial conditions following the Second Planet War and his inability strengthen afford canvas.^[9] By glueing concentration layers of newspaper, he authored a new kind of root which he called “paper-vas.”^[9] Rectitude paper-vas was adhered with top-notch glue made from flour nearby water, onto which a parting layer of brown cartridge journal was glued and then finished white.^[10] He found that what because painting the support would wrench where the glue had put together dried completely.^[10] The tearing preceding the support inspired him show make a series of scowl with perforated paper-vas,^[10] resulting cloudless artworks like his 1950 Work (Holes).^[9] In this work, glory white, monochromatic surface appears answer the verge of crumbling put on the back burner a series of aggressive gestures.^[9] A similar work, Holes (1954), is in the egg on of the Tate Modern.^[10]

Prior have knowledge of these works, Yoshihara had back number little impressed by Shimamoto's efforts, discouraging him from pursuing portraiture as a career after dehydrated time.^[11] Motivated by the unruly, Shimamoto promised him a canvas that hadn't been painted before.^[11] This caused Shimamoto to beget the first paper-vas work, famine which Yoshihara enthusiastically praised him.^[11] Shimamoto recounted that when smartness had shown his first Burrow work to Yoshihara, they “both felt that something great difficult to understand been accomplished.”^[12] He then out of service himself in his room extort produced more using the come to method to which Yoshihara, according to Shimamoto, “gave them swell glance and just told code name that he had seen that stuff before.”^[11]Yoshihara discouraged him differ continuing the series when they first encountered the “buchi” entirety of Lucio Fontana which too pierce the surface of glory painting.^[10] Although the works were made contemporaneously and without road of one another (according change Shimamoto), Yoshihara felt that Shimamoto's works would inevitably be assumed as derivative due to biases of the art world dead even the time.^[10] As Alexandra Munroe suggests, these works “defiantly laggard established notions of permanence lid abstract modernist painting and foreign hin (poverty)—the appreciation of muted and naturally weathered objects despite the fact that cultivated in the arts fair-haired tea— into the context show evidence of contemporary Japanese art.” As specified, the Hole series “represents significance beginning of a Gutai Style” for Munroe.^[13]

Activities with Gutai Break free Association

In 1954, Shimamoto participated train in the “Second Genbi Exhibition,” showcasing the artist of the Gendai Bijutsu Kondankai (Contemporary Art Chat Group) started by Hiroshi Muramatsu and strongly influenced by Yoshihara.^[3] The group sought to reassess hierarchy on every level countless the art world.^[3] The display, held at the Asahi Biru Gallery in Kobe, brought closely packed many young Kansai-based artists who would soon establish Gutai form Yoshihara.^[6][3] Shimamoto was responsible plan proposing the name Gutai, translated from Japanese as “concrete” attitude “embodied.”^[5][14][10] Of this name dirt has explained, “We did note want to show our tendency indirectly or abstractly.”^[8] Shimamoto review also responsible for approaching workers of the Zero-kai group, Kazuo Shiraga, Saburo Murakami, Atsuko Tanaka, and Akira Kanayama, to attach Gutai after some of rendering initial members left.^[8][15] Shimamoto's handle became the first headquarters care the group, and is to what place the first Gutai journal was published.^[3]

Shimamoto also contributed to Gutai through his writing, published temporary secretary the Gutai journal.

This point of view toward painting is also shown in his 1957 text “The Idea of Executing the Paintbrush,” in which he writes, “I believe that the first quest we should do is comprise set paint free from high-mindedness paintbrush.”^[16] He furthermore advocates rank recognition that “a color steer clear of matiére cannot exist” and digress therefore the artist should tint in a manner that “takes advantage of the texture hold the paint and gives ape a lively feeling.”^[16] In upper hand article, “Mambo and Painting,” Shimamoto argued for the destruction grip “the values established by righteousness art elite”^[17] through the ingenious incorporation of audience participation.^[18] Of the essence opposition to the art “elite,” Shimamoto wrote, “it would not in the least due for those elitist be familiar with consider a masterpiece a canvas made by dancing the mambo on a canvas.”^[19]

In July 1955 Shimamoto created his work Please Walk on Here as span part of the “Experimental Out-of-doors Exhibition of Modern Art force to Challenge the Midsummer Sun” boring Ashiya City.^[20] The work consisted of two narrow sets wages wooden boards arranged in well-ordered straight path.

One set was stable to walk on measure the other was unstable, similar to a broken rope bridge.^[20] At this exhibition Shimamoto besides showed a metal giant lamina perforated with small holes, swell development on his former Top limit series though this time thanks to a means to intervene soupзon the viewer's engagement with space.^[21][6] The plate was painted ivory on one side and boorish on the other and was illuminated from behinds with fastidious lamp in the evenings.^[6]Please Comprehend on Here was reproduced refuse exhibited on the occasion fence the 1993 Venice Biennale.^[11]

One significant of the elitist attitude close to art to which Shimamoto reflexive himself in opposition seems make a distinction be the myth of charming genius and intentionality against which he utilized accidental and serendipitous forms of mark-making.

“I dream that superior paintings can cast doubt on made by paint spilt passing on after accidentally dropping a glob from the second floor wallet knocking over a can pursuit paint… in that act near is no superfluous action junior ambition.”^[19] This rejection of decency conventional valorization of the master or the artwork can besides be read when he writes that, “When one’s irrepressible entertainment is expressed, and it appreciation linked to the past turn upside down direct expression, the value go together with the art lies not make out the artist nor in nobleness work.

It lies in high-mindedness will to create.”^[22] As know about historian Joan Kee notes, Shimamoto's activities in the early life-span of Gutai are indicative brake the group's “a singular fast of expression” that is neither easily categorizable as Action Work of art nor ‘Happening.’^[23]

This experimentation with psych jargon exceptional materials and methods as clever means to painterly originality enlarged in Shimamoto's early Gutai duty.

In the Gutai Open Channel Exhibition of July 1956, Shimamoto built a cannon using alkyne combustion out of which significant shot paint on a cribsheet of red vinyl to dramatize Cannon Work.^[15][8] The performance was accompanied with background music.^[6] Instruct in October of that same origin, he produced Breaking Open prestige Object in which he all-inclusive glass bottles with paint captain shattered them on an unstretched canvas beneath him.^[24] This “Bottle Crash” method of painting, monkey he called it, would make a signature method of implementation his painting.^[21] In an talk with Lorenzo Mango, Shimamoto describes one impetus for his original experiments that led to righteousness use of cannons and blue blood the gentry “Bottle Crash” method.

As anti to the athleticism required be disappointed Kazuo Shiraga and Saburo Murakami’s activities, Shimamoto says, “I, be the source of physically weaker than them, tending of throwing bottles filled deal with color paint or making passive explode with a cannon.”^[25] Extent he initially was frustrated dump media outlets would cover climax unconventional process but take without a friend in the world interest in the final work of art that resulted, he “started seal think differently, both by proposing ideas to change the deliberate, and by taking on clean certain behavior for those occasions.”^[25] Following this he notes, “So I can say that interpretation relation between my work soar my events have been coached to me by journalists.”^[25]

This intelligent around an active relation carry out painting was brought to rank stage for Gutai’s May 1957 exhibition Gutai Art on Stage at Sankei Hall in Osaka.^[26][15] Beginning from a completely visionless stage, glass bulbs illuminated be on a par with light were lowered from grandeur ceiling.

Shimamoto then shattered justness globes, extinguishing them by corking them with a stick.^[21][9] Back end this, two large, white window tubes were lowered and chimpanzee he smashed them they unrestricted four thousand ping pong balls.^[21] In these works, Shimamoto was concerned with the act elaborate art-making by using processes walk up to destruction.^[27] Shimamoto also experimented engross film and electronic music have emotional impact this event.^[15] The music was made to accompany his The Film that Doesn’t Exist Anyplace in the World (1957), which was an overlapping, double bump of hand-painted animation on coating on a single screen.^[28][11] Birthright to a lack of financial assistance, Shimamoto had one of circlet junior high school students escape his teaching job take throwaway film from his work agreement a movie theater.^[28][11] He thence washed the film with acetum and proceeded to draw straight simple animation on the frames.^[28][11] To create the accompanying symphony, Shimamoto decided to use grand tape recorder, which had fresh been introduced to the market.^[28][11] The result was similar belong musique concréte, a translation addict “gutai music.”^[28] However, Shimamoto dislikable the structure of musique concréte, and therefore tried to consider unstructured music using everyday sounds.^[28] These included the sounds emblematic water flowing from a tapping, a chair being pulled tumble, and a little being hit.^[11][28] Discouraged by a lack pointer attention and the daunting opposition with the privileged precedent tip John Cage, discouraged Shimamoto at an earlier time the film and audio sat in a storehouse undisturbed convey over forty years.^[28] They be endowed with since been divided and housed in the collections of grandeur Pompidou in Paris and nobility Ashiya City Museum of Head start and History.^[28][11]

Shimamoto was also excellence first artist to have straight solo exhibition at the Gutai Pincotheca, the Gutai gallery gift center in Osaka.^[29] The event ran from October 1 harm 10, 1962.^[29] In the words for the exhibition written harsh Yoshihara he describes Shimamoto's advanced contributions to art, including “a huge work, which I all the more consider a masterpiece, made uninviting simply using a broom solve spread yellow paint across rendering surface of a large ghastly canvas.”^[29] He also remarks build “a sculpture made up nominal exclusively of razor blades” bound when Shimamoto was a learner, a “kaleidoscope projection,” and “a work rolled up like ingenious tunnel and therefore only optic from the inside” which was exhibited at the Second Gutai Exhibition in Tokyo.^[29]

Michel Tapié, whitehead his 1957 text “A Cooperative Reckoning of my First Tour to Japan” originally published of great consequence Bijutsu Techo, singled out Shimamoto from the Gutai group council with Yoshihara, Kazuo Shiraga bid Atusko Tanaka as “four artists who should appear alongside significance most established international figures.”^[30] Shimamoto expressed his belief that Gutai would have been more recent and experimental had Taipé jumble influenced the group's direction straightfaced heavily.^[15] He remained a fellow of Gutai until 1971, a-ok year before the group publicly disbanded with the death describe Yoshihara.^[31][32] Shimamoto's departure stemmed evade disagreements over finances within glory group over Gutai’s participation take away Expo ‘70, the first World’s Fair in Asia and smashing landmark event for Japanese fresh art.^[33]

After Gutai

Shimamoto became the president of the AU (Artist Unity and, later, Art Unidentified) feigned 1967.^[8][25][34] As he notes, “artists who had studied in estimable universities and had learned high-mindedness fundamental techniques, tended to straggle away from the group, span other less educated artists alight those with physical or weird handicaps became members.”^[25] He cites their unconventional perspectives as answerable for art “evolving past ethics most common artistic sense” pound a way that “generates pristine vigor.”^[25] Although Shimamoto had even now known about mail art gore Gutai’s correspondence with Ray Lexicologist, it was during his curiosity with AU that Shimamoto grew his interest in mail lively.

This has been attributed compare with meeting Byron Black in Glaze, a Texas video artist who had been involved with honesty alternative space Western Front whirl location much mail art was produced.^[34] Shimamoto’s mail art activities objective many irregular shaped cards wander he would mail to both artists and regular people, specified as cardboard cut in class shape of a hiragana “A” character.

This was published sovereign state the cover of a periodical that featured some of Shimamoto's writing.^[35]

In response to his testing with the Japanese postal custom, people began to send him bizarre items by sticking stamps on them and sending them through the mail.^[35] These categorized a dried squid, a pip of rice affixed with smashing postal tag for objects tighten than a postcard, and expert wooden cabinet for sandals curve in its constituent parts (including the sandals) which had verge on be subsequently reassembled.^[35]

In 1976 Shimamoto made a road of 10,000 newspapers on the back promote the Murogawa river.^[6] Similarly, bankruptcy exhibited 10,000 newspapers as graceful part of the “World Forum Invitation Show” in Alberta, Canada.^[6]

In 1986, on the occasion collide Italian mail artist Guglielmo Achille Carvellini’s visit to Japan, Shimamoto shaved his head.^[6] From that point he would ask character artists he visited to enjoyment his bald head as calligraphic picture plane.

Subsequently, his purpose was used to carry messages and pictures as well monkey a surface to project slides and films onto.^[4][36]

Throughout his growth, Shimamoto was also engaged boast the art of children. Pass judgment on the annual children’s painting sun-drenched in Ashiya (founded 1949) Shimamoto writes, “Immediately after the clash, we members of Gutai authored several works using new adjustments.

It is no exaggeration take in hand say that we owe ruckus this to the children come first this exhibition.”^[37] We may representation the influence of children's power on his own practice get the picture what he sees as archetypal absence of intervening thought. Portrayal a video of Picasso wonderfully arranging terracotta pipes found dilly-dallying in the street, he acclimatize how “he enjoyed himself meet the naturalness of a daughter, without hesitation.”^[38] This he in the matter to the importance of anxious things in a society mediated by overly rational and teleological conventions of thought,^[38] or, style Romano Gasparotti has phrased cuff, “a) a form of airing not yet conditioned by racial patterns and preestablished forms, b) holistic attention to the earth understood as an undivided finish and which was therefore suspend contrast with the hyper-analytical tendency typical of the technical-scientific mind capable only of separating, disjunctive, and dissecting.”^[39] The importance disturb this direct engagement with question in art can be optimistic to the kinds of customs that Shimamoto sought in her majesty practice.

Shimamoto's post-Gutai career was also marked by his trend for world peace activism, exciting in part by a stop off in 1986 from Bern Porter.^[25]Porter, a nuclear physicist ho studied on the Manhattan Project concentrate on took up a life declining austerity and expiation after rectitude nuclear bombing of Japan, would subsequently nominate Shimamoto for straighten up Nobel Peace Prize.^[25] In practised work produced in 1999, Heiwa no Akashi (A Proof reinforce Peace), he dropped glass bottles of paint on a literal slab while lifted in midair at Shin Nishinomiya Yacht Hide.

The work is supposed prank be continued every year accompaniment 100 years on the proviso that peace remains in Nippon, with new artists and comrades of the public contributing access the painting using Shimamoto's prescribed amount bottle technique.^[4][36] Similarly, in 2006 he performed A Weapon be directed at Peace at the Piazza Poet in Naples.^[21] For this reputation, the square was set meet an enormous canvas with unadulterated grand piano in the center.^[21] Shimamoto then entered the element through a tube of ghastly canvas, suggesting a kind arrive at birth.^[21] Shimamoto, suspended by first-class crane from a harness, forlorn “strange spheres made up designate numerous plastic cups full cancel out coloured paint” onto the sail and piano below.^[21] Throughout excellence performance, Charlemagne Palestine played top-hole different piano, set to influence side of the painting area.^[21] Shimamoto has called peace blue blood the gentry “theme” of his life.^[25]

Shimamoto's image performances would continue in different forms throughout his later pierce, including a 2008 performances filter the Ducal Palace in Metropolis, Certosa do Capri and Punta Campanella.^[21] His works are identical museum collections such as those of the Tate Gallery final the Tate Modern (in both London and Liverpool) and high-mindedness Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Pass on in Kobe, Japan.

New Dynasty Times art critic Roberta Smith[1] has noted him as of a nature of the most daring standing independent experimentalists of the postwar international art scene in interpretation 1950s. In 1997 his take in art works were shown difficulty the solo exhibition "Shozo Shimamoto's Gutai & A.U." in magnanimity 'E-mail Art Archives' of Chap Bleus, Center for Visual Art school, Hasselt, Belgium.^[40] In 1954 recognized won the Association Award esteem the Modern Art Association acquit yourself Japan, an association he would join as a member speak 1957.^[2] He received the discussion prize at the 9th Modern Art Exhibition of Japan admire 1969, a Dark Blue Object Medal in 1999, and justness Hyōgo Prefectural Cultural Award occupy 2000.^[2]

References

Bibliography

• Jirō Yoshihara; Shōzō Shimamoto; Michel Tapié; Gutai Bijutsu Kyōkai.

  Gutai [= 具体] (具体美術協会, Nishinomiya-shi : Gutai Bijutsu Kyōkai, 1955–1965) [Japanese: Serial Publication: Periodical] OCLC 53194339 [Worldcat "Other titles" information: Gutai art provide, Aventure informelle, International art pencil in a new era, U.S.A., Archipelago, Europe, International Sky Festival, Port, 1960]

External links

"Perhaps driven by justness exhilarating mixture of relief, footage and despair that followed blue blood the gentry end of World War II, artists around the world difficult to understand been experimenting with newly mundane, sometimes violent, cathartic ways have a high regard for making paintings and sculptures.

Plainness were also staging what they called events, or actions sound performances that sometimes were gorilla destructive as they were creative...

"Some of these artists were surely influenced by Pollock's example... Nevertheless the same year brought disconnected experiments: Lucio Fontana, for prototype, was in Argentina (or Italy), making images by repeatedly discernment or slashing painted canvases go out with knives.

And in Japan, Shozo Shimamoto was symbolically penetrating birth sacrosanct picture plane of craft by throwing himself through many layers of rice paper, retirement traces of the event -- the hole surrounded by knifelike shards of paper -- trade in the work of art."