Exhibition/event has ended.
On Kawara: Thanatophanies - Prototype for Printed Paintings
Sgùrr Dearg Institute for Sociology of the Arts
FinishedReservation Required
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Artists
On Kawara
This exhibition examines the issue of aura in contemporary society by the superimposition of an original methodology selected by On Kawara (printed paintings) with the issue of reproduction technology identified by Walter Benjamin. On Kawara conducted experiments to investigate whether a reproduction can present a semblance linked to the here and now, on the premise of change to the conventional concept of an artwork resulting from the dissipation of its aura due to copying through mechanical reproduction.
When On Kawara launched his career, he was recognized as a promising painter and seen as a representative of the postwar generation in Japan. Feeling the limitations of presenting artworks in exhibitions for only small numbers of viewers, he began, in the second half of the 1950s, to explore the potential of what he called “printed paintings” as a medium that could reach a broader audience. His series of death-mask portraits, later published as the Thanatophaniesportfolio (meaning “apparitions of death”) can be considered a prototype for his printed paintings, representing a new form of art. Critical of the institutional form of art museums and galleries, Kawara is suggesting a means of constructing a new system of art that would inspire creative responses to original works.
Kawara’s printed paintings are offset printed paintings produced through prepress and printing processes under the direct supervision of the artist. This idea is described in detail in an article by On Kawara titled “Insatsu Kaiga” [Printed Paintings] in “Kaiga no Giho to Kaiga no Yukue” [Painting Techniques and the Future of Painting], an extra edition of Bijutsu Techo (Issue No.155, 1959).
The Thanatophaniespresented in this exhibition is the last series of drawings that On Kawara presented in Japan, billed as the first part of his Nihonjin no Shozo [Portraits of Japanese People] series. They were shown at Takemiya Gallery from May 11–20, 1956 under the title Shikamen [Death Masks], with the intention of being followed by a sequel titled Dai-san Kaikyu [The Third Class], which was never realized. Takemiya Gallery’s description included the statement, “This series was planned from the start as a portfolio, which had the inconvenience of restricting all the drawings to being of the same size. It marks the artist’s first experiment in what should probably be called ‘printed paintings.’”
The works in the Thanatophaniesportfolio were produced in 1955 and 1956 before Kawara went to Mexico, and it contains the thirty drawings of the Shikamenseries exhibited at Takemiya Gallery. Some forty years passed before its publication in the form originally envisaged by the artist, but it has to be considered particularly significant in terms of Kawara’s career. It is neither a collection of prints nor a catalog. Rather, it is indisputably an experiment, exploring the artist’s ideas for printed paintings. Each individual portfolio is hand-numbered, by On Kawara himself.
When On Kawara launched his career, he was recognized as a promising painter and seen as a representative of the postwar generation in Japan. Feeling the limitations of presenting artworks in exhibitions for only small numbers of viewers, he began, in the second half of the 1950s, to explore the potential of what he called “printed paintings” as a medium that could reach a broader audience. His series of death-mask portraits, later published as the Thanatophaniesportfolio (meaning “apparitions of death”) can be considered a prototype for his printed paintings, representing a new form of art. Critical of the institutional form of art museums and galleries, Kawara is suggesting a means of constructing a new system of art that would inspire creative responses to original works.
Kawara’s printed paintings are offset printed paintings produced through prepress and printing processes under the direct supervision of the artist. This idea is described in detail in an article by On Kawara titled “Insatsu Kaiga” [Printed Paintings] in “Kaiga no Giho to Kaiga no Yukue” [Painting Techniques and the Future of Painting], an extra edition of Bijutsu Techo (Issue No.155, 1959).
The Thanatophaniespresented in this exhibition is the last series of drawings that On Kawara presented in Japan, billed as the first part of his Nihonjin no Shozo [Portraits of Japanese People] series. They were shown at Takemiya Gallery from May 11–20, 1956 under the title Shikamen [Death Masks], with the intention of being followed by a sequel titled Dai-san Kaikyu [The Third Class], which was never realized. Takemiya Gallery’s description included the statement, “This series was planned from the start as a portfolio, which had the inconvenience of restricting all the drawings to being of the same size. It marks the artist’s first experiment in what should probably be called ‘printed paintings.’”
The works in the Thanatophaniesportfolio were produced in 1955 and 1956 before Kawara went to Mexico, and it contains the thirty drawings of the Shikamenseries exhibited at Takemiya Gallery. Some forty years passed before its publication in the form originally envisaged by the artist, but it has to be considered particularly significant in terms of Kawara’s career. It is neither a collection of prints nor a catalog. Rather, it is indisputably an experiment, exploring the artist’s ideas for printed paintings. Each individual portfolio is hand-numbered, by On Kawara himself.
Schedule | Mar 26 (Sat) 2022-May 26 (Thu) 2022 Reservation RequiredOpening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Website | https://www.sgurrdearg.com/exhibitions/河原温＿死仮面画集＿印刷絵画の実験-展/ | ||||
| Venue | Sgùrr Dearg Institute for Sociology of the Arts https://www.sgurrdearg.com/ | ||||
| Location | 2F NADiff A/P/A/R/T, 1-18-4 Ebisu Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0013 | ||||
| Access | 6 minute walk from the East exit of Ebisu Station on the JR Yamanote and Saikyo lines. 7 minute walk from exit 1 at Ebisu Station on the Hibiya line. | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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