‘THE QUEST FOR PICTORIAL SPACES: ‘THE ART OF TSUYOSHI MAEKAWA. by Sholehi Hirai ‘Senior Researcher atthe National Museum of Modem Art, Kyoto A Tsuyoshi Maekawa is known asa former member of Gutai. He is also known for works, dating from his time with the group, in which he folded slender pieces of burlap (coarse jute bags) and attached them to the pic- ture plane like pleats. Since Gutai began to attract international attention in the 1980s, however, there has unfortunately been very little discussion of Maekawa’s, artistry. One reason for this is that until recently most efforts to reevaluate Gutai were dominated by a focus on the group's early works and acti- vities, such as actions, installations, and performances. In addition, as Maekawa joined Gutai in the late '50s, there has been a tendency to exclude him from the discussion. And the fact that he has remained obsessed with cloth as a material even after the Gutai era has also played a part, At first glance, Maekawa’ artistic expressions, which involve production methods such as cutting, attaching and sewing cloth, and incorporat- ing images suggested by the colours and material qualities of fabric, certainly appear to have an affinity with textile art, fiber art or crafts. As ‘a result, they also seem somehow foreign to so-called contemporary art. But after understanding the history of how Maekawa came to use burlap and why he has continued to express himself primarily with cloth until the present day, this view begins to seem overly rash and superficial. 2. According to the interview with Maekawa contained in this book, the artist first began using burlap in his work during his third year in high school (ca. 1954). Its also interesting to note that Maekawa credits Joan Miré as a direct influence. Beginning in the 1920s, Miré and other Surrealist artists actively sought to introduce a variety of new substances to the picture plane. Although their individual objectives varied, Miro's uniqueness lay in his conscious attempt to use materials with strong tactile qualities and to incorporate materiality into his expressions. Itis important to stress that Maekawa's focus on materiality as a method of pictorial expression and the fact that he chose burlap forts unique material qualities predate the rise of Art Informel in Japan, Though ‘Maekawa joined Gutai a few years after the group was formed, one might argue that he displayed sensibilities that were very similar to those of the group's early members, in particular Gutai leader Jiro Yoshihara. Asa result, when Maekawa submitted his work to the Modern Art Associ- ation exhibition after graduating from high school, he was introduced toYoshihara by Gutai members Shozo Shimamoto, Yasuo Sumi, and Chiyu Uernae, who were also participating in the event. It seems virtually inevita- ble that Maekawa would be invited to join Gutai, which had changed into an Informel-style painting group characterized by action, materiality and an all-over approach that lacked fundamental structure. The first time Maekawa showed with the group was at the 8th Gutai Art Exhibition in 1959. In keeping with the Informel style that was the norm. in Gutai at the time, Maekawa's work in the event was made by “pouring thick paint over a roughly 200-size [2590 x 1940 mm] homemade can- vas that | had completely covered with burlap”, emphasizing the vivid material quality of the picture to an excessive degree.' ‘The work seems to have been well received, but as it was the golden age of Art Informel, other artists were also attracted to the strong tactile qual- ities of buriap. To join Gutai, it was necessary for Maekawa to achieve a level of originality that distinguished him from the rest. This was not only because “originality” was Gutai’s motto, but also because Yoshihara considered it to be the most important criterion in evaluating art. Thus, following a certain amount of trial and error, Maekawa adopted a new means of expression that centered on pleats. 3. Maekawa arrived at this unique approach in about 1961. By superbly combining the lines in the spiral-shaped pleats that were inspired by pat- ‘terns in ancient Jomon earthenware with the coarse texture of the burlap material, Maekawa’s works exuded a primitive sense of power. Lauded for his efforts by Yoshihara, he was publicly recognized as a Gutai member the following year. In 1963, Yoshihara chose Maekawa to hold a solo exhibition at the Gutai Pinacotheca, and through a group of approximately 40 works, many of which were executed on a monumental scale using size 200, 500 (3.333 x 2.485 mm) and 1.000 (ca. 15 m?) canvases, the artist made a strong appeal for his work. Itis also worth mentioning that Maekawa's burlap pleats were conceived with something more than originality in mind, He was also keenly aware of the creative issues that faced painting at that time. Inthe 1950s, Gutai was at the forefront of a Japanese movement to develop new styles of painting as many artists adopted a variety of ap~ proaches to expand the medium. In terms of Gutai alone, various mem- bers of the group punched holes in the canvas, smashed bottles of paint against it (Shozo Shimamoto), painted with their feet (Kazuo Shiraga), and attached a wide range of materials, including paper, sand and dust to the surface of their pictures (Jiro Yoshihara, Michio Yoshihara, Chiyu Uemae and Yozo Ukita among others). But after doing nearly everything that seemed possible in a two-dimen- sional space, by the end of the 1950s, these experiments had come to ‘a standstil. In order to break the deadlock, a number of younger art- ists emerged around 1960. They worked to destroy the stereotype thatpainting was limited to two dimensions, and by expanding the scope of the medium into three dimensions, carved out new possibilities in pictorial expression. Maekawa was one of them. Maekawa's works of the period were praised then, as they are now, for their primitive power and the “images of primordial life” that he created by blending the materiality of burlap with curved lines.? This assessment is entirely correct, but focusing solely on this aspect has often led to mis- conceptions regarding the essence of Maekawa’s art. By examining later developments in Maekawa's works, one realizes that his physical innovations and his search for new pictorial spaces were actually ‘he artist's overriding artistic theme as well as the essence of his practice. 4. In the late ’60s, Gutai distanced itself from Art Informel and morphed into. a mainstream group that concentrated on geometric abstractions and kinetic expressions, At the same time, a younger sensibility and more flexible ideas infused Gutai with a new spirit. Along with two other artists of the same generation, Takesada Matsutani and Shuji Mukai, Maekawa became known as one of the group's “3M's" (so called for the first initials of the artists’ sumames), and was more or less forced to shift his focus from painting to kinetic, three-dimensional work. When Gutai disbanded in 1972, however, Maekawa was released from the yoke of Yoshihara and the group as a whole, and went back to making paintings with cloth. Rather than burlap, however, Maekawa intentionally chose fabrics with less materiality as his support medium. He used a sewing machine to make tucked seams on the reverse side of the cloth (a technique known as “darts”) and imbued the picture plane with delicate concave lines, Using as little paint as possible and subdued hues, Maekawa empha- sized the rough quality of the works through their materiality and colour. And by structuring the picture plane out of concave pleats, he created works with a wholly different appearance from those of the Gutai era. Interms of his attempt to realize an original pictorial space through the use of cloth and sewing, however, the works display clear parallels. But perhaps the most significant thing about this approach was that by trying to establish a pictorial space without relying on material- or colour-based images, Maekawa made a new start by expressing the same artistic theme that he had been pursuing since the Gutai era in a simpler, more concise way. Having ascertained the optimal artistic direction for himself through these works, Maekawa then began sewing tucked seams (a technique known as “pin tucks”) into the front side of the cloth to create slender, convex pleats. While improving his sewing technique and deepening his understanding of cloth, Maekawa steadily incorporated materiality and form into the works, creating shading with an accumulation of pleats that made it look as if tiny waves were rippling across the surface of a picture, intentionally combining cloth with different material qualities such ashemp and cotton, and producing simple shapes like parallelograms and trapezoids with pleats using the pin-tuck technique. 5. Maekawa’s ceaseless efforts to explore the pictorial space in the "70s really began to bear fruit in the 1980s. His unprecedented pictorial spaces, and intellectual and refined expressions were highly acclaimed and after first receiving the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Prize at the 15th Contemporary Art Exhibition of Japan in 1981, he went on to wina series of other awards the following year, including the National Museum of Art, Osaka Prize at the 4th Japan Emba Prize Exhibition, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto Prize at the 14th Japan International Art Exhibition, as well as the Grand Prize at the 5th Exhibition of Contempo- rary Japanese Painting. But Maekawa was still not content with all this recognition; he continued searching for new expressions. In recent years, after putting his stamp on the tucked-seam technique that became synonymous with his post-Gutai work, Maekawa began adding lumps of paint to wrinkled pieces of cloth, moving beyond the ‘edges of the canvas, and breaking new ground with pictures in which painted and unpainted sections took on the appearance of a figure. ‘The wrinkles were another kind of pleat. The figures, created with wrinkled uneven spaces, can be seen as a new development in Maekawa’s, innovative approach to pictorial space, which began with the two- dimensional appearance of the pleats in his burlap works of the ‘60s and the tucked seams of the '70s. In the interview in this book, Maekawa says: “I've always been interested in the new spaces that can be created by using different materials and methods of enclosing regular planar works.” He also says: “I never con- sciously thought of [my works] as sculptures. | thought they were inter- esting because they were paintings.” “I thought they were interesting because they were paintings.” While carrying on in the Gutai spirit and remaining obsessed with originality, Maekawa Tsuyoshi's joy in continually evolving unique pictorial expres sions is condensed into this single sentence. Notes 1 ‘Maekawa Tsuyoshi, “From the Time That | Began Making Ar,” Gendai Zokei: Teuchito nuno toto: Aral Takako, Maekawa Tsuyoshi, Hamaton Akio-ten (Contemporary Art: Clay, Cloth and Thread: Arai Takako, Maekawa Tsuyoshi, ‘and Hamatani Akio Exhibition), exh, cat, Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama, ‘July 1989, p.30., 2 ‘Takahashi Toru, "Monthly Review: Maskawa Tsuyoshi Exhibition,” Mibon jutsu kogel Japanese Arts and Crafts), no. 304, January 1964, p. 137,Book published on the occasion ofthe exhibition of Tsuyoshi Maekawa from March 13 to May 4, 2014. Axel Vervoordt Gallory Viaeykensgang — Oude Koornmarkt 16 2000 Antwerp Belgium +320) 477 88 80.60 ‘war anelvervoordtgallery.com Concept: Axl Vervoordt, Luc Derycke, Jenke Van den Akkerveken Ezitors: Lue Derycke, Jenke Van den Akkerveken Executive editor: Jenke Van den Akkerveken Proofreading: Kate Mayne “Text: Koichi Kawasaki, Shoichi Hirai Avel Vervoordt Translations from the Japanese: Christopher Stephens Photography: Jean-Pierre Gabriel: p.55 (bottom) Naritumi kato: p.11 op), p.21 (bottom), p.54 (lett) dan Liggecis: pp.25-28, pp.67-113 Yoshiaki Nagashima: p.62 Photo courtesy: Museum of Osaka University: p.10 (op), p.12 (bottom), p.16 (bottom), 2.17 (top, middle, bottom right), p.18 (op), p.18 (bottom let), .21 (top), p.22 (top, middle) p.23 (top), p.29 (top), p- 45, p.46 (top, ‘midele, bottom right p.47 (top) p.48 (bottom lef), p. 49 (middle, bottom), np. 50-Si, p.54 (top right) “Tsuyoshi Maekawa’ allother historic images ‘Axel and May Vervoordt Foundation: pp.67—113 Graphic design: Lue Deryeke & Jeroen Wille, Studio Luc Derycke Printing and binding: Cassochrome, Waregem Publisher: Axeland May Vervoordt Foundation Published by: ‘AsaMER, an imprint of MER. Paper Kunsthalle Geldmunt 36 B-9000Gent 2014 © MER. Paper Kunsthalle for this edition \worssmerpaperkunsthall.org ‘Art © 2014 Tsuyoshi Mackawa Texts © 2014 the authors Photography © 2014 the photographers Historie images related to the Gutal Art Association ® the former members ofthe Guta Art Association Allrights reserve. (©2014 Axel and May Vervoordt Foundation ‘wun axelvervoordtgallery.com 1SBN976-94-9177-541-3, D/2014/7852/223 Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders. however, you feel you have inadvertently been overlooked, please contact the publisher, \We are grateful to the Ashiya City Museum of Art & History, Art Court Gallery, LADS Gallery and Mrs, Mizuho Kato for their kind collaboration and support ‘Special thanks to Koichi Kawasaki without whom this book would never hhave been possible.