About the event
AFTER GUTAI: Free Collision | Exhibition Information
The Whitestone Gallery is honored to present “AFTER GUTAI: Free Collision,” focusing on the works of five artists: Jiro YOSHIHARA (1905-1972), Kazuo SHIRAGA (1924-2008), Yasuo SUMI (1925-2015), Shozo SHIMAMOTO (1928-2013), and Atsuko TANAKA (1932-2005). “Gutai,” officially known as the “Gutai Art Association,” was Japan’s first radical post-war art collective. Founded in 1954, it aimed to transcend abstraction and fervently pursue the potential of artistic creation. Gutai does not distort materials; instead, it emphasizes the collision between materials and individual qualities, resulting in works pulsating with intense vitality. The group underwent an 18-year developmental journey, lasting until its dissolution in 1972 after the passing of its leader, Jiro YOSHIHARA. After Gutai’s dissolution, its members individually continued to exude significant energy, embracing the spirit of “creating unprecedented things” and “avoiding imitation,” engaging in a dialogue between their works and the world.
The essence of “Gutai” implies “presenting our liberated spirit through concrete proof.” The Gutai artists broke free from the traditional tools of artists and instead embraced bold and daring forms of self-expression, often using their own bodies for artistic creation, colliding with new possibilities. Each member had a unique and experimental approach to artistic expression: Shozo SHIMAMOTO filled glass bottles with paint and hurled them at canvases to create “bottle paintings”; Yasuo SUMI used vibrating devices to make paint roll through abacuses and rotate through paper umbrellas; Atsuko TANAKA wore countless flashing light bulbs and tubes to create Electric Dress; Kazuo SHIRAGA suspended his body in mid-air using a rope and painted with his bare feet.
The exhibition will be on view from August 19 through September 30. Plan your visit now to experience the impact of Gutai Generation One artists’ works.
Exhibition Details
- AFTER GUTAI: Free Collision | Exhibition
- Date: 19 August - 30 September 2023
- Time: 11:00 - 19:00 (Closed on Sundays, Mondays and Public Holidays)
- Venue: Whitestone Gallery Taipei, Space I
- Address: No. 1, Jihu Road, Neihu District, Taipei City
Information Source: Whitestone Gallery Taipei｜Facebook