1955a The first Gutai exhibition in Japan marks the dissemination of modernist art through the media and its reinterpretation by artists outside the United States and Europe, also exemplified by the rise of the Neoconcretist group in Brazil. ii the lilIlt issue of lie tournal (St/itt, published in October IY5Cs this brief s itenwnt appeateci: the US artist Jackson l’of lock, whom we highly esteemed, has passed away all too early ma road .ieuident, and we ,iIe deeply touched. It. I. Priednian who was close 0 bun, and who sent us the news of this dcatli, wrote: ‘When tccntly I Iotkecl through Pollocks library. I diseoveiecl issues two pttmter its works lien were utintlueteilt vet rather urtmviitui,ml s’ersituns of l.utntupean post Wtn abstr;ictiuun. It is mutt sit moelu his own art as his mulependence of mind, his defiant’ of buretnmcnmuy, “ his willougness to seize [lie tupptumtunity of a clean slitt’ ilftmrdetl by the historical sit uiatittn of postwar lapin, mcI fits encotirmgeuiients to beas rad cal as possible that explain tlue:tttrtictittn hetxertetl on artists whim were a gemueratmmmmm yutnnger. I Tin interest in pu’rttmr nlant_e mul in lie tlteat er- the lilly domimain where he was ms iuiumuvative as lie other itmeumubers cut C ,titai also plaveul a nid three of (mi/itt. I Was told fiat Ptillock was :nI enthusiastic disciple of the C utam, for m it he had recognized a vision and a itality close to its own. “1 its last sentence is suibtect to doubt, to .ty the least (was Iriedman excessively polite, was his letter tam— title in clchnoug the group’s mc tiVity. It is this perfmurniative angle litmnm wInch (Sitam Ictickecl it l’ollock that resuiltL’d mu cunc’ of the most interesting, affuett short livid, ‘‘cmeitmve numsiesclnugs’’ td twentieth-century art. lteu:otse they knew aredwith?), and we should not make tot) much, as hn as Ihillock’s imlerest in (utai is concerned, of the mtdtlball presence in his last I Imipton studio mu the two October 955 issues oft ctuntdtntial ipanese ournal among those of more hmmiiiliar nuagaYines about (C (dl (it mmiencan or I ii ropean art. She retcience tells a lot, however, abunit what ltolfmuck repreiitedforthecohlahor:itoi’soitlue tutirnat (Sir ml was most prmih:mhly lity, despite the feigned surprise of the statement quitted above, into had sent it it the Amiteriran painterl: he was the imnagmnmry ‘mufience, the revered master. Just a decade uSer I liroshinia and .igasaki, in a sclttiatphrenic Japan encloising Amnericanmiation at lmm’eeOflomic level bitt resisting it at the cultural one (the two most dden paths were a “ret tim fit order that c,mlled Sir the rehabili— ion ofage—old Japanese practices on the one hand, or “socialist” rt,mlism, on tIme other), this enthusiastic endorsement olan Amen— iii artist was cleltbertttely shocking. A :ieative misreadinq ol Pollock lit Voshihara ( 19tt5—72), the mentor and financial backer of the miii group, bad enthusiastically written about I’ollock in 951 ‘in several of his paintings had toured Japan, and he woultl pet sist in acknowledging his antI his friends’ debt. Btit more tItan iii mutual contact with the works themselves, it was no chtuumbt the uous photographs by F lans Namuth (191 5—9t)) 1J and Rudy rckhardt showing Pollotk chopping and pouring paint that uuzcd the young artists gathered around Yoshihama. By imither 1954 (that is, at the tine of the group’s bmuindtition), Itihara had ilmeacly acquired a national reputation as a 1 Hans Namuth, Jackson Po!IockpaintingAutumn Rhythm, 1950 111.4)1 Nonwesn’rn avant-qardEs I 1955 373 next to not hing abotit the context that had prestlct over the inven— tionotPollocksdrip technique, because they read it through cultural codes that were utterly foreign to the American artistic ambience, the (ut lit iI s were able to zero in on aspects i)f Po)lIOCks art that would become available to ‘vVestern artists (notably the post years later. A Minimalist proponents of “antiform ) only fifteen a American have did But (;Ut’5 eccentric reading of Pollock origin. twen beliire the group was formed, the (utai artists had • endeavored o literalize Ian )ld Rosen berg’s (a ii t lii r ma list) not ion that the Abstract Pxpressionist canvas is an ‘‘arena for action” and that the pictures themselves are far less significant than the ges tures that produced them. In fact, it is the new techniqtie adopted in 1951 by Kazuo Shiraga (born 1921), who was to become the most brilliant member of the groctp, that functioned as a catalyst: abandoning his brush, Shiraga beman to paint with his feet 121, eon— • ceiving of this bodily method as a radicalization of Pollock’s horizontality. Upon seeing Shmmaga’s pictures, other artists such as Shozo Shimamoto (horn I 928), who had been puncturing holes in thick screens of pain ted paper, or Sabu ro M Liraka m i ( born I 925 — 2 • Kazuo Shtraga, Work II, 1958 Oil on paper, 183 a 243 (72 x 93 A iSfill 374 1955 • iim1,I, I Nonwestern avani-gardes • 111.19 who had been throwing balls dipped in ink, realized that they had a don ble in teiest in com non: in order to ireven t a p roiteetionist return to the traditional artistic practices of Japanese art (the extremely codified calligraphy, for example), one had not only to invent radically new nodes of engendering a ma rk, but also to take advantage of the highly ritualistic nature of lapanese culttmre in order to) transftrin the artistic act into a tnins’ressive intl ludic perfimimnanee. It is this dual investigation that characterizes the most interesting piocluctions of (utiii. ‘Ihe word itself is firmedl of two characters: ‘‘gtm,” signifying tool or means, and ‘‘tai,’’ which means hotly orsubstanec; it is translated as “concreteness. Ihe inventiveness of (,ut;mm artists in their choice of mniitermnl and wtirlcing method fir their paintings— most often rializecl during their exhibitions (several of them outdoors) —is staggering. The spectacularization of the production especially during the two tirst years ol the group’s existence, almcist inevitably called for an they insisted emphasis on chance and contingency (like Pollock, tied hand, iilwavs d on severing the link that—via the brush——ha Kanimyama gesture, and inscription). ‘1cm app))’ paint or ink, Akmra large paper screens, the gaping holes lie left deliberately assault i op that icon of traditional Japanese interior architecture, the paper partition 141. But soon the very theatricality of’ these actions devef— opecl to the stage where, horn 1957 tin, (utai inciuntecl gimcliosc’ audiovistial shows whose main characteristic was, in a manner that A recalled l)adaist theater’, a pi’etlilectitm for the giotesdftie and an iiiyressive stance iown’cl the aciclieoce (tist as in 1921 Francis Picahia had blinded the Parisian public of lie ballet Rc’Idc’hc’ by pointing mt it 37(1 rcitccinobile lights, Sacliiniasa Motcinaga lioril t92I chased his spectators away with Ins ‘‘smoke cannon’’l, It is, however, m its conception cit exhihititois as vast amuse merit parks ccintailing pockc’ts uI oieditative spaces and delicate sccilptural ichects (bat (lie (Nitai griiiil c’xtelfc’cl. In iisst’ c’cciicl cicitclcnrshcivllimly IO5(cl,fiirt’.\iiuiplc’,llc’lcllikc’tlie first iralcint’ flirt-sI, tslcitcciiaga liting between the ti’ec’s loicgslit’et’, of plisi it filled icith ciilorecl water dial lilterc’cl lit’ sims light; ,litlnci ‘i’cisliihn’a (born 0,13) tItle, a Icolc’ in tlic’’-, nul ic’lit’re lit’ ,ilnicist hunt-cl an ulc_’ctric light; ,Sloni,niiciiii tiomstrilt tic) a catcc,rlls cit planks, sripportt’cl be iinevi’n sprigs, oir which pt’ople isere ciiviteil walk; knm,cy,iniatiplcc’d thningfi the c’otire grcnoicl with a SOt) fluiit—lciii; strip ot’wliite vinyl, ,rcliirneil with hl,ic Is toiitprnits hit niacle it looked like ,m rninr,iv and entlon up iii a Ii cc’. A sense ut flliy in-ruasive I ni’niy wiirl-s c’xlnbiteul 01 t uto ‘,lmciws were dirc’etlv niviton; (lie spec dons tic Pirtltipitd’t, lint ,clso .i ;c’IOOnc’ interest in new iri,iterials (with a clc’tnotivc’ flit in,itii,ci for plistic, which marked wiirltlwiulc’ lit’ pu’niucl ii) reciiilstrnt ticni ,iftc’r \Vuirlil tti ii -0 W.irlhf,hotliotteiicccoihnoiieici,iiu.iplii’,iltuctlieciiic,iion-,,\c,isc. in pou1t is lit’ /4’oi !)ii’5 of Atsirlco ‘l’,io,ik,r (hicric P1(2), a costtnile imiade of sever,if clnien nic,rocli’scerit liimlli’, ,nicl colorc’il neon tirlics n-ihwlncli slid wr.ij’jecl cei’sc’lt. iiskiiigi-lettrictoiiicn, tOitlieiilieni igot aim i’xhibiticiiimlokvti iii lOSe. By the tort’ ( nt,n teas pi-c’c’ritt’cl it tlic’ ,‘\l,crtlii lit ksoii I gillc’r oi Nt’tv Ytrk in C )ctcdic’r 958, lricwr’ver, it hatl griiwic ‘,t,ifc’. ‘thc’ 01,011 caimseicitlos cleli,mcle iv.is ci shift ot c’rnfchmsis: om premt tint i.m ic-nIt of Fi’c’ncli critic i\lieliel lipid’s visit ii lipit, dining uc’loClm this (;nr 1924) used an electric toy car, Yastio Sorni Ilnirci t9), a Vcr,ilor, Toshio Yoshicla (horn 1928), a sprinkling can held liii ars tpip,nient i rock p] aced on h is ccii va s, or he ii sed a ri] e, wh Ic Sb rai.i red arrows to pierce poticlies cit pa nt. Not surprisingly, the restilting pictures were otno pleat iritercst SI i raga’s ii u merous “toot pac it in gs” a ic a no ii p thc’ very f’w l cliii traces C)! those events that do not locik cltah widouhtetily ‘iiise the indc’xical footprints clearly register the temporality 1)1 ,h1 let). But the Gutai artists knew as mcieh anti, initially at least, Iteedid not particularly value these remnants, considering them as nile crops for their performances or multimedia installations. lit’ performances proper, later soniewhir t 0) st aken 1 y celehra ICC) ‘v A lan Kaprow as anticipating his happenings, also pay a direct •Sute to Rosenherp’s trope of the ‘‘arena.” For the opening of’ the Iii .t indoor GLitai exhibition, held in ‘lokyo in ()cttcher 1955, ci ,iga threw himself ito a pile of wet mud, where he thrashed 1 no icc! half naked while the arid ience gatl mc’ red rc ici rid hi in 131. ‘I ‘lie oc evening, Mu rakam i thu nderi ngly crash ccl t Ii rough a row of six mi above his waitiii strrf,ice;S hinxiinoto smashed cit cii! iii/iiiiiii’I in Paris had i11,o1.c’c’dl to pi’rsoclt’ thic’ni that this was ci he their fccnte, tilt C ;mit.n artists ouiw cmcmmteiitm’,itc’if their energy ccii pcmiritimig, ‘l’,uliie’s cvmict,mi miiarkc-tiicp ‘.tmitc’gv macI cht’v,ist,itnie cffc’ctt mmci longer eommsiclc’i’c-ul litre nips, tIme mmimtc-ri,il pi’cidtrcts ot(Smtai’s the,ctm’ic:s were exhihiitc’ci as ,mnttcntiiocitms, icle,d izc’cl cbstracticcns, I i)clc’m’st,cncf,ibl\- tIme .\t,mr’tlm,i l,itksoo shin, • clicinipicimm - t’timatecl by ‘l’aliic it lit- vei-\’ juncture wlmc’mu the moutmon iii ,mtticcii pcmiuitmiic; hid lcecutmne trttt’rly ,mc,iuhc’itiic oi Aimmi-rica, w,us tire h,iclI recc’ivetl, ‘the grucup nevc’n recuuserc’cf Iruuimi lii’ fi,isGu nit! slcucvis clegeneritecl intcia c,mricatmo’euuf tseif, ( mmtam disbanded iiiilviit ‘(72 (at thc’clecmth cithim’cc Yuuslnim,mm’al, nit it hid lumimg ic’,t its fl,nime, Geotiietry turned ugniust itself It is iuitc’m’t’stincç to cciiitpare this talc’ with that ci) tfrc’ Neciccciicrt-tist nicweinent which einergc’cl in Brazil at the end of hi’ fifties—-ost or it was similarly born out of thit (an was slackening A u • -iii Noi,wesicrii civcciii—qardes 1955 375 4 • Saburo Murakami, Passage, October 1956 I’cclorm1jncr t, ofa canonical trend of \‘Vestern modernism, this time the geometric abstract art that had with the retro A been institution;ilizecl in the thirties. It all started spective of the work of Swiss painter, sculptor, and architect Max ed Bill at the Museu de Arte Moderna in Sio Paulo in 1950, follow de Rio of le Bienna first the at by his reception of the Grand Prize which (in Art” rete Janeiro in 1951: enthusiasts of Bill’s “Conc ly everything had to be planned by arithmetic calculations) sudden reinterpretation, from a peripheral outpos 376 A iO7b • 15371,. 194i,, iSbic 1 955 I Nonwestern avant-gardes - - - flooded the tiny Brazilian art world, which had been, until then, recalcitrant toward modern art. Returning to her native Brazil in 1952, if tee a year in Paris (where she had studied with lernand Lege’r), Lygia (lark (1920—88) quickly assimilated Bill’s rationalist catechism and soon began to sap it from gy, within. Noting that Bill often borrowed his torms trom topolo this sci to appeal raphic iconog purely she resolved to go beyond his entific held. Her first mature paintings (1954) were modular jigsaw reliefs calletl (,‘ocooii 61 antI Cu)it(isi—it’/Icfr, in homau4e IC) \/ladimir puzzles in wool in winch slit’ eiitleivoietl to give a positive role to the black interstices (empty joints) bet wuen the color blocks, and to Atatlin, all tlatint from 1959, in which she translated the perceptuial instability of her piecetling works into the real, phenomenal space of transform the frame nit) a pictorial element: as she insisted at die our senses (Oiticiea soon proposc’tl his own vemsion, which he called lime, her iiiil was to undo the empty/lull, inside/outside opposi Sfnu(ioi Rt’Io’/ ) l’.,ich (ou000 is marIe of a sinile rectangular sheet ot tiOnS upon which pfaiiamgeouit’try intl rit uiumialisiii ait’ hiisetl. the ambiptitnis distiivc’ry spaces mc’tal partially edit and fuiltled (but not ctit titit—inithing is deletetl of Her next step, lmiliowiiig her nor ackled) so dial its frontal prportuon, whatever its prott’ction in iii Josef Albers’s “d,t,iIt,niI (ousit’/Itii,iius, was a series of pictures is always a stluare (liidiin,so to speils, ni interior space that (or rather wood reliefs) in which a sclriare nit’ehuiieally puiitt’d ni [lit’ lieliolcler discovers when steppuigasitle). the hurl t’iigenrlers tfit’ a matte blatk is hindered on one or several uI its sides (and some tantasy tif ruihiltlnit antI of the plane as a conlprt’ssion of volume, times divided) y a recessed white line winch functions mole like a itfea developetl further in the (‘ontom—ri’Iii’fs, where void is smtl an to illusitiiiisti— she had nianaed these, In like lr,one. a tinge thaii o ehecl between layers of)ilaek or white boards. ialiy torque the plane, an accoiuiplisliinent she i eriliecl in a tontio Ihat pkoie has a s’oltnnt’, mid hit this volume can beopt’necl railed 1.utt’oi l-i,’t (I )5il), a black disk htirtlererl by an interrupted up las a tocoon) is it lit ecuc’ of Clark’s most tt’lebr,itt’tf worlcs, white line. Because the i lute line laterally tlissolves into the the ,lnio,otc if l9Nt ‘I 15, 71, treestantlin ‘,trtitlores molt’ of ,tim’roundinu white wall, we retrain ruin the estaltist liibit of hnigetf plait’s of nietalstliat out’ can mnlipulite to pit’ [lit’ senlp iosing the cotit’, antI the black area tends to shift visually in depth tore various sfiajit’s )uvhit’o stored, ni ,‘ioooii/is icrterthi’ flit just with the hut’, mit’ area ieeetlim wInk’ tIlt’ ot her seen] iut to ike lie suis1it’uidecl sculptures of Aleksantfr Rodelienkof. Ifit’ protrude toward us. It is this perceptual to intl frii, conceived as a artmcttlatttoi amid disposition of tIle metal plates thett’riimiiie a set “‘tippressuuumi of thu plane,’ that propel Ittl (lark to secede publicly from Bill’s school and to flituitl “Neocuncretisnio,’’ with several othluissibilitiesthiat ire often mniforeseealili. In thirst’ first flartici— patuiry tstirks, ( larlc troispmised liei tuipeuhunital iiivestifit timid ii linger artists, iii March I (coiicertlo1i lit’ piis’hle ,iluuufitiuimi ut lit’ reverst’ salt’ lroiii nitive ii emerge f this besides lark major only fifuure The into the nimude if relations l)etwet’ii subject intl uihjett: oeitfir’r is nuent, Háliui (titicica ( tL7 ‘itt), rallied ti the cause only after the passivt’ nor entirely l’ree, hue ,tunoiud is cmuilteivd’ml is an or,mmosiii euiblication of the roup’s iiianitestti penned by [lit’ pot’t and critic fiat remtts,ivithiitsowiiliwsiiidliniitatiumos,tiuthieiiumivenient’,of (i’rieira Gumllar (this text was entirely based in ( Ink’s rt’interpieta vhoc’vt’r niaiiipim)utes it to nnitlity it’, rioli;iir,ition. Often it lie lenses of Ion of the tr;itlition ofuoinetric alsstraetuuimi tluotih ilit’ phenonieooloup’ ol pt’ictptioo, often c1ootiin tlnirice tslerleau it’ClLniC’s certon esttiit’s or tiiit’xpc’tt’chl torus itself inside omit; tli,iluittie between ,‘lotoitm/ nirl “fn’fmolufer’’ is at tune.s exhiil discovered recently mid [lie ‘inry’s pfiilosoplueal work, which slit liatl armtu,at touts trustritimiug but it always nnclermnnies hi’ notuoi ihiiclssvotiltI rt’ni.iin i liteltint interest ),‘liie puibhirititin oftht’ tleo icretist manilt’sto etiiiicidet! with (ok’se(iboritiuoi oii st’ric’s ni • i.ygia Clark, installation in the Brazilian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, 7968 id tn He tool intir iii tilek eu whii Annst’i’ Ciii In scusi CII) the p(ii]h Clam IC) i_li C 1) IC) c-I that tine cottlrl es er he it Ciott it ii i ii t me (it lieu, tnittiIni Ii ttiu- Iit)i)III Ii I uuuuuuu —— Aii)’ii)’I Nonwesiern uvini-qarcies I [955 377 6 Lygia Clark, Cocoon, 1959 :tct x :iti tt in, iii,, 3t) 7• Lygia Clark, Animal, 1960 a Ii x it From painting and sculpture to (he absence of objects tt (pliorl)’ It is at this puncture that Clark iiventecl the (,‘oiii,iiIui,iil marks 961 in which translatable as ‘‘l’railim,”” Wulkiiii’, aluiii ), ot a liii j ng her de finit i s’e ía rewel I It) teomet nc art a nd the hed both could ehaiaeterize tiend iii her work and in that of O:tieica that one as the progressive disappearance of the itt obtuet as such. (In tither res (Ii words, perhaps because of their total diste arci for the strictu st ncret Neoco of the he art market, the logical development began killowecl a path rigorously inverse to that of ( titai: they pictures and ended with props that were nothing ifncu m.tnip— with to Itil l’s ulatecl. ) The ctt,o:ti)itt,ulo ret ti tied One more t I inc ia thur but , pology Pu of oders wo I in ki tuat IC) 0 with the morph c ilogica nce that than being an obeet it is ecinceived as an existential experie St rip, a ItIS Moeh has to be lived t li rough: the basic material is a paper (Ia rk ‘s sli ape that Bill had t 11 a ii y times carved in gra iii te. It crc are porn do—it—yoursel ii nstrticttons: “lake a pair of scissors, stick one strip. the of length the along ously into the surface and cut continu would hich cut—w ting preexis lake care not to converge with the gone the cause the band to separate into two pieces. When yoti have to) the or leti circtot oIthe strip, it’s up to you whether to cut to the . right ot the cut you ye already made. The idea ot choice is capital The The on ue meaning of this experience is in the act of doing it. refines it strip, cut the you that work is your act alone. To the extent is so and redoubles itself in to oi terlacings. At the end t lie pat Ii trail.” narrow that you can’t open it forther. It’s the end of the fcr the What’s left, a pile ot paper spaghetti on the tloor, is ready act is wastebasket: “There is only one type ofcttiration: the act. The and before exists g Nothin o. iluoiul that which produces the Ctuiiti 378 1955 Nonwestern asant-gardes ‘it SIt) 74 ‘i al ‘‘not to nothingafterwarcls, writes (lark, adding hit it is essenti md what know-- -while you are cutting- --whit yttii are going to cut is not you have already cut.” Anti then: “t:ven it this proptisition al in skeptic ns iem:i tine if etcH and art, ctinsideiecl as a work of elation tot tvhat it implies, it is neci’ssar’ to t1tt it.” ped, thioimgh— Irom the (,‘iniioiltioidii, ( Ink ,oid ( )iticica develo s nituractive pictice hat (iLit the sixties antI beyond, a ctm)iie n itt the object per Se, steered away not ttnly ruin any consioleratiti perftirnianee, not (till cality theatri of any lotion but also turn ed nitmltilile “partiempiilts— even in the “primpositntns that involv to use the words that now respect ivelv iepliced ‘cibleet’’ and very “beholder’’ in their liumuelotis texts). More important )‘et, the e concept itt the artist gradually became irrelevant tas “art” becam sitiotis a kind of therapy or social work): the Neocimncrc’tists’ prtmpo Rosen— to again retc’r to ” action, might very well lie ‘‘arenas for mif an berg’s dtnnagc’, but not ms vehicles for thc’ expression it is ioab, tIle autllort,tl subject. It a cathartic liberation is indeed hat o1 the participant. it ii: ii ii it fit At tNt. tate .1. q,,,,’’., Orbara ye,, Berioiz, and Klaus Woiberi tecist, (i_k,,iia,i,,,ii i3,,tt,,i,t,,,i,,,iy, ‘‘i’t I, ii:,,,, i1nnueI 1. Borja—Viflei ted). ,,;,,,t;f,,i. it ( ,, ,,, I,’’)’ I I’ll,:, I,,., F,,,,,, Ark,,, i.ipi’. I t,,I,,, ‘iii Guy Brett ci at., ikh,r 0,1,,,,,, )tvl,,e,,,,t ii,, kL,tk,’, AU ‘i’ll LygiaCtark, “N,,-.iaht,,,,,I itr iii,, ii, (r,h,r ii,, it .ii,,im, i,aI, ‘iii.,, Ca,,, SN, Rosat,nd Krau,,s and Yve—Atain Fiots, i ,q,,’l,.i ‘, ‘i,,,, 1 Sari,,. i’!?) ui, [I,,. I iii,,, I .rr,q r,’ .l.qiur’ .,‘Il,i Aiexan,lr,, Monroe I,, CS,,,i,,,,y it,, Skit ri,,,,,, ‘iii, Al,,,u,u’ ft ,,i ii,,,,, ttl,’c t ,\tt,, ‘III, :;, i,,,,, ,l,j.,.-r t It,,;t, Haroid Rosenberg,’ ii,, A,,’,,,,.,,, A, ii,,, I’,,r,i,-r’,: ‘)rtt ,,‘,,,, it,, ,,ii)i,r I’d,.’ I