Travelers: Stepping into the Unknown January 21–May 6, 2018 National Museum of Art Osaka

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

Station to Station - University Exhibition

Recently while lost as usual in Osaka, then going into an underground train station to find my way home, one came across a university art exhibition in a largish space next to the train station subway walkway, its a great area to hold such an energetic show of students artworks.

It was very enjoyable to wonder around this University Exhibition in Osaka, it bought back many fond memories of my own art student days of study, which was very different from the electronic gadgetry that students seem to need nowadays, it was just a pencil and paper to draw on, for it was before the iphone, ipad or digital everything, yes sorry to say I am one of the last of the art dinosaurs but nonetheless that doesn't stop ones appreciate of the aesthetics efforts within this show which are very interesting.

One does not know who the artists are in this exhibition (as cant read Japanese) they exhibit equally and anonymously, so when looking at the artworks the experience is directed at the aesthetics and one of the first sensations realised is the energy these artists have, its impressive to see so many ideas produce in large and small artworks.   

Plus what one also liked very much was the installation of the artworks, it wasn't compartmentalised into areas of painting, sculpture, printmaking, electronic arts etc..., one could walk around this space and engage a variety of aesthetic sensibilities, well placed next to each other, so presumably the audience could glean knowledge from each artists artworks in unity and diversity, so as a cohesive whole this show worked very well.

In leaving the Station to Station Exhibition what was realised is the next generation is there to take over from where the apriori group of artists when they leave this planet, to make there own tracks into uncharted aesthetic horizons, for like all the artists before them in history they are Driven. Many thanks to the artists who put on the exhibition a good experience!