Susumu Koshimizu (小清水 漸, Koshimizu Susumu; born 1944) is a Japanese sculptor and an installation artist. He is one of…
Susumu Koshimizu (小清水 漸, Koshimizu Susumu; born 1944) is a Japanese sculptor and an installation artist. He is one of the key members of Mono-ha, a group of artists who became prominent in the late 1960s and 1970s. Mono-ha was the name given to a loosely associated group of artists whose work was stridently anti-modernist—consisting primarily of sculptures and installations that incorporated basic materials such as rocks, sand, wood, cotton, glass and metal, often in simple arrangements with minimal artistic intervention. From early on, Susumu Koshimizu's investigation of material and space resulted in some of Mono-ha's most definitive artworks. Koshimizu's installations and sculptures during the 1960s and 1970s focused on the qualities inherent to but not visible in an object. Yet, he shows concern for the materiality of objects—a desire to expose the fundamentals of sculpture, often revealed through juxtaposition. In Paper (formerly Paper 2) (1969), he placed a large stone inside an even larger envelope of Japanese paper, open on one side. Viewers were able to look inside and—in the sculptural context of relating interior structure to exterior form—were confronted with the sheer size and solidity of the stone in contrast to the thin membrane of paper that covers it. Crack the Stone in August '70 consisted of an immense block of granite split in two at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. At that time, Koshimizu was exploring the fundamentals of sculpture without the need for juxtaposition: splitting open the stone and exposing its inside was a means to show the materiality and presence of the rock itself. At the beginning of the 1970s, Koshimizu started to explore specifically the structure of surfaces. A single installation, "From Surface to Surface (Wooden Logs Placed in a Radial Pattern on the Ground)" (1972/2004) is a good example. The work is composed of thirty, thirteen-foot-long square beams of wood, the surfaces of which have been sliced at varying intervals and angles to create undulating expanses of geometric form. Koshimizu's work since the 1980s has explored a variety of Japanese woods though the concept of "working tables.”
Famous Japanese People: Artist
Artist: 59 people
Yoshimasa "Yoshi" Wada (11 November 1943 – 18 May 2021) was a Fluxus-related Japanese sound art installation artist and…
Yoshimasa "Yoshi" Wada (11 November 1943 – 18 May 2021) was a Fluxus-related Japanese sound art installation artist and new music musician who lived in New York City before moving to San Francisco, California.
Juichi Yoshikawa (吉川 壽一, Yoshikawa Jūichi; born 1943 in Fukui) is a Japanese calligraphist, or sho artist, who studied…
Juichi Yoshikawa (吉川 壽一, Yoshikawa Jūichi; born 1943 in Fukui) is a Japanese calligraphist, or sho artist, who studied calligraphy formally under Inamura Undo, and later with Ueda Sokiu. Yoshikawa's avant garde trademark "three and a half dimensions" style applies observation as the additional dimension. To an untrained observer, this approach might be characterized as artistic flamboyance known by the use of giant brushes and stadium-sized canvases - or, as in the large 1990 Beijing installation, by almost completely covering the 5,000 square metres of Tiananmen Square. Yoshikawa's work has been presented throughout Japan, China, and the Middle East, and he is the author of a 1993 French publication on his form, Sho. He has collaborated several times with the lyricist, Chris Mosdell, illustrating what are essentially poetic works with experimental calligraphy. The first collection, Shake the Whole World To Its Foundations (2001 Shichosha Publishing), is an epic rhythmical chant densely type-set on the page with delicate and often simple brush-stroke accompaniments. The second publication, The Erotic Odes: A Pillow Book, couples verse by Mosdell with digitally stylized erotic shunga woodcut prints from the Edo Era overlaid with sensual calligraphy and ink-seepage creations by Yoshikawa. A full-color edition, originally published by Libroport in 1997, was fully color-enhanced and re-printed in 2008 by Seigensha Publishing.
Kōji Enokura (榎倉康二, Enokura Kōji; 1942–1995) was a Japanese painter and installation artist. He was one of the key…
Kōji Enokura (榎倉康二, Enokura Kōji; 1942–1995) was a Japanese painter and installation artist. He was one of the key members of Mono-ha, a group of artists who became prominent in the late 1960s and 1970s. The Mono-ha artists explored the encounter between natural and industrial materials, such as stone, steel plates, glass, light bulbs, cotton, sponge, paper, wood, wire, rope, leather, oil, and water, arranging them in mostly unaltered, ephemeral states. The works focus as much on the interdependency of these various elements and the surrounding space as on the materials themselves.
Keiichi Tanaami (21 July 1936 – 9 August 2024) was a Japanese pop artist who was active as multi-genre artist from the…
Keiichi Tanaami (21 July 1936 – 9 August 2024) was a Japanese pop artist who was active as multi-genre artist from the 1960s as a graphic designer, illustrator, video artist and fine artist.
Isao Tomita (冨田 勲, Tomita Isao; 22 April 1932 – 5 May 2016) (often known simply as Tomita) was a Japanese composer…
Isao Tomita (冨田 勲, Tomita Isao; 22 April 1932 – 5 May 2016) (often known simply as Tomita) was a Japanese composer regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music as well as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements. In addition to creating note-by-note realizations, Tomita made extensive use of the sound-design capabilities of his instrument, using synthesizers to create new sounds to accompany and enhance his electronic realizations of acoustic instruments. He also made effective use of analog music sequencers and the Mellotron, and featured futuristic science-fiction themes, while laying the foundations for synth-pop music and trance-like rhythms. Many of his albums are electronic versions and adaptations of familiar classical music pieces. He received four Grammy Award nominations for his 1974 album based on music by Claude Debussy, Snowflakes Are Dancing.
Shu Uemura (植村 秀, Uemura Shū; June 19, 1928 – December 29, 2007) (Japanese pronunciation: [ɯemɯɾa ɕɯː]) was a Japanese…
Shu Uemura (植村 秀, Uemura Shū; June 19, 1928 – December 29, 2007) (Japanese pronunciation: [ɯemɯɾa ɕɯː]) was a Japanese make-up artist and founder of the cosmetics line which bears his name.
Yutaka Matsuzawa (松澤宥, Matsuzawa Yutaka; February 2, 1922 – October 15, 2006) was a pioneer conceptual artist. He was…
Yutaka Matsuzawa (松澤宥, Matsuzawa Yutaka; February 2, 1922 – October 15, 2006) was a pioneer conceptual artist. He was active from the 1950s until his death in central Japan.
Hiroki Nanami (七海ひろき, Nanami Hiroki) is a Japanese actress, singer, voice actress, and former otokoyaku (male role)…
Hiroki Nanami (七海ひろき, Nanami Hiroki) is a Japanese actress, singer, voice actress, and former otokoyaku (male role) star of the Takarazuka Revue (2003–2019).