Shinro Ohtake
The National Museum of Art Osaka is having its 40th year celebration with the Travelers: Stepping into the Unknown exhibition from January 21–May 6, 2018 and its a great show, it doesn't get any better than this to see cutting edge art that has a raw direct energy of curiosity and bewilderment resonating throughout the galleries.
For me, this is how critical art exhibitions should somehow be experienced as and affect ones full extent of sensory facilities, so that the human memory is taxed to its fullest with a range of textures, hues, contrasts, sounds and questions marks over ones ethics and humanity might be and this show is one mesmerising experience, its as good as it gets.
Shinro Ohtake side view of artwork
One of the artworks that appealed to one the most is Shiro
Ohtake seen above is an astounding effort in human aesthetic sensibility, its
stunning to stand in front of it for it holds together so well, the thin strips
of torn paper pasted over thicker larger ones, then at times very liminal slices
of cardboard are juxtaposed slabbish book like covers, it’s almost like some
very strange symphonic score, quite wonderful, it may have been more
interesting if one was allowed to feel the textures within these amazing
artworks, maybe that's an idea for the future who knows.
The extent of the materials used by Ohtake within his
developing system of making art in studio praxis is impressive and one might
suggest extreme which is a good thing to happen. For example, in the catalogue
it states for the artwork by Ohtake titled: Time/Memory Feedback 2015 the materials used are Oil, acrylic,
dye, gouache, copperplate, ink, coloured ink, sumi, pencil, printed matter,
photographs, photographic film, transparency film, cellophane tape, cello tape,
aluminium foil tape, cardboard, tissue paper, tracing paper, Japanese paper,
wallpaper, stamps, newspaper, cotton cloth, hemp cloth, cheese cloth, cotton
yarn, felt, balsa wood, paint brush, pearls, oil paint tube, guitar strings,
wiring cable, vinyl records, cassette tape, turntable, record playback
cartridge, rotation motor, daily time switch: OMRON/H5-A stainless steel and
iron. Ohtake's seemingly exhaustive system of making certainly makes a very interesting artworks
that is for sure!
At the entrance of the Travelers: Stepping into the Unknown
exhibition there is the visionary sound installation of Janet Cardiff and
George Bures Miller titled; Osaka Symphony 2018
walking through the exhibit and hearing a strange myriad of sounds one
realised that people with sight impairment, could also enjoy an art museum for
being able to hear the artwork was a very good aesthetic extension for audiences
that experience the world differently.
For throughout history many artists have had serious impairments
of one sort or another. Some examples are the Spanish painter Goya was deaf as
was the British artist Joshua Reynolds along with Mexican painter Frida Kahlo
to name a few, so it's enlightening to see this installation bringing people to
the gallery that may have thought they could never experience an art museum.
This is a not to be missed exhibition with further
performances to come, so if you're in Japan or coming to Kansai try and get to
the this not to be missed exhibition link below.
National Museum of Art Osaka link
http://www.nmao.go.jp/
link to Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller titled Osaka Symphony; 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujBg33fCLZE
