Being and Matter
a performance in response to the work of Shigeo Anzaï 安斎 重男
White Rainbow Gallery on Thursday 26th November, 6-8pm
as part of Fitzrovia Late, Open to all
Free Admission, RSVP White Rainbow Gallery to book your place
I am delighted to announce I will be presenting a new contemporary dance composition Being and Matter in response to the work of Shigeo Anzaï. Being and Matter draws inspiration from the Mono-ha artists and ‘Between Man and Matter’, Yusuke Nakahara’s concept for the 10th Tokyo Biennale, 1970. It is an enquiry into the relationship between matter, body and space. The idea of documentation will also be used to form the choreography. Like the ‘Happenings’ of the 1970’s, the performance takes an open format, shifting in response to chance, time and place. The audience is invited to witness the process of choreographic composition.
Images:
Christo, The 10th Tokyo Biennale ’70 – Between Man and Matter, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum May, 1970
Richard Serra, The 10th Tokyo Biennale ’70 – Between Man and Matter, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum May, 1970
Photographer Shigeo Anzaï
White Rainbow
47 Mortimer Street
London W1W 8HJ
020 7637 1050
white-rainbow.co.uk
About Shigeo Anzaï and the exhibition Index I:
White Rainbow is pleased to announce two forthcoming exhibitions by renowned photographer Shigeo Anzaï (b.1939). This is the first time Anzaï, whose work includes portraits of David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, and Joseph Beuys, will have a solo show in the UK. The two exhibitions, Index I (18 November 2015 – 23 January 2016) and Index II (17 May – 25 June 2016), will each present a different facet to his practice. Index I will focus on Anzaï’s role as a witness to the landmark exhibitions, events and happenings of the avant-garde in Japan 1970–6, whilst Index II will showcase his portraits of celebrated artists over his long career.
Anzaï’s photographs are not just records of historical importance, but also serve as valuable documentation of the artists themselves, their performances and their work processes. His detailed recordings of the Japanese art scene led to a largescale solo exhibition, Personal Photo Archives, held at the National Art Center, Tokyo in 2007.
Shigeo Anzaï’s involvement with contemporary art began in the 1960s. After studying applied chemistry and obtaining a job at a research lab, Anzaï began teaching himself about contemporary art, producing paintings and exhibiting them at solo and group shows. He was thirty when he first picked up a camera and began the oeuvre of work he has since become known for. Whilst working for the 10th Tokyo Biennale ‘70, he was appointed by renowned critic Yusuke Nakahara to assist Carl Andre, Daniel Buren, and Richard Serra. Anzaï began documenting their works, coming into contact with new forms of art from around the world. He established himself as the foremost photographer of Mono-ha, a movement that emerged in Tokyo in the mid-1960s whose artists explored the interdependency of natural and industrial materials, creating work that was often ephemeral.
In 1978 Anzaï received a fellowship allowing him to live in New York for a year. During this time he documented the American contemporary art scene; photographing performances in gallery space The Kitchen where he established relationships with Bill Viola, Laurie Anderson and other emerging artists of the time. After New York he would travel to document exhibitions such as Documenta in Kassel and the Biennale in Venice. Index I will look at Anzaï’s documentation of artwork. These are frequently ephemeral works: performances, happenings and installations, many of which survive today only through reconstructions, or in his photographs. Anzaï’s work allows them to be seen within their original context. His images can be described as an index of recent Japanese art history, and where it encountered or was exposed to international movements.
Index I will look at Anzaï’s documentation of artwork. These are frequently ephemeral works: performances, happenings and installations, many of which survive today only through reconstructions, or in his photographs. Anzaï’s work allows them to be seen within their original context. His images can be described as an index of recent Japanese art history, and where it encountered or was exposed to international movements.
jurinishi 