Reversingpainting，WOrldandtime

HiraiShoichi（Curator．TheNationalMuseumofModemArt，Kyoto）

Hereare2smallpaintings・【Cat．no．13，14】Oneisapaintinginwhichthemediumisraisedbythefoursides

Ofapurewhitecanvas・andanotheroneinwhichasimilarwhitecanvasissurroundedbythemedium The

mediumplaystherole，aCtingasah■ame，inboth

ThesetwosmallpleCeSWereeXhibitedattheCutaiArtSmallWorkExhibitionlnDecember1971heldatGutai
MiniPinacotheca，theheadquarterofCutaiArtAssociationinwhichtheartistImaiNoriohadpartlCIPated・On

January21，1972，Whichisjustonemonthaftertheendofthisexhibition，the山Gutai”leaderYoshiharaJiro

brokedownathome，andpassedawayonFebruarylO・Subsequently，thegroupwasdissoIvedattheendof

March Unexpectedly，theGutaiArtSmal1WorkExhibitlOnWOuldbetheBnalexhibitionofthe“Gutai

Nothingisdrawnonthenatscreen，andthesubstance，Whichorlglnallyneededtobethereinorderto

COnStituteanimage，isoutside・Itseemstobeexpressinghisattitudebyborrowingtheformofpainting．When

VariousformsDfexpressionswerespeCtaCularlydevelopedinthelate1960S，paintingbecamethesymbolof

theoldartisticviewamongtheyoungartistssuchasImai
However，thisinterpretationmaybetoosuperAcial．Paintingscreateuniqueworldswithinthescreen．Besides，

theyareoftencutoutfromtherealworldbythehames Thatistosay・ahameistheboundarybetweenthe

twoworlds，andadditionallyactsasawindowframe ButwhataboutthesetwosmallpleCeS？Thematerials

thatshouldbewithinthescreenareframedattheendortheedgesofthescreen・Inotherwords，theworld

thatshouldbewithinthescreer10ccurSOutSideofthescreen，andapurewhitescreeninsteadexistsasthe

realworld・Withoutdenylngtheconceptofthepainting・butratherpositivelyquotingthetraditionalformof

thepainting，byreversmgthesetwoworlds，Imaimaytrytoquestiontheuncertaintyoftheworldemerglngln

鉦ontorhim．

ThosewhostillconsiderGutaionlyasagroupofactionsandperformancesmayfeelasenseofincongruityln
thefactthattheseconceptualworkswereexhibitedattheGutaiexhibition．However，aSithasbeenclarined

inthedomesticCutairetrospectivesinthe2000sandalsotheexhibition”Gutai・SplendidPlayground’’atthe

GuggenheimMuseuminNewYorkin2013，YoshiharainvitedlleWtalentstoGutaioneafteranother，and

SigniBcantlychangedtheimageofthegroup・Geometricabstraction，teChnologyartandabstractionwithhard

edgesbecamethecoreoftheirexpressions，andarc．und1970・COnCePtualworkssuchasreconBrmingthe

WOrldlsexistencelnrelationtosubstance，SpaCeandbodystartedtoappear Startingh−Om1968，theseriesof

＜Contact＞（Contactingleadboardsonthefloorandwallsbyknockingit）byTakasakiMotonaowhopassed

awaytheotherday，ar）dintheco−prOductionofGutaimemberatJapanWorldExposition．Osaka，1970，Imails

responsiblesectionof＜GardenonGarden＞（slidingahugestoneonthehalFdriedconcrete，andleavingavivld

trace）lFigureHwerethegoodexamples，

Furthermore，regardlngImai，aftertheOsakaExpo，hehaddeepenedanddevelopedthisdirectionevenoutside

OfGutai，purSulngaCtivitiessuchascreatingtheworkofpushingalumpofsandandcementagalnStthe

WallandseparatingthematregularintervalS【Figure21atthelOthJapanContemporaryArtExhibitionheld

attheTokyoMetropolitanMuseumofArtinMay1971・andinOctoberofthesameyear・theinstallationby

emulsionputty（randomb，rubbingthemassesofwhiteemulsionputtyonthewhitewallinthegallery）lFigure

3】exhibitedatthesoIoexhibltlOnatthegalleryMorilsForminOsaka．

TheseworksseemtobelinkedtogenealogiesofearlyuGutai”suchasShiragaKazuo’S＜ChallengingMud＞and

MurakamiSaburo’S＜Passage＞ナbutintheaspectofmakingitnotasanactionbutdealingwiththestateof”Mono

（things）”asatheme．thereisaresonancewiththeworksoftheartistscalled“Mono−ha”inthesameperiod．

Indeed・thereversalofthetwoworldsinImailspreviouspaintingsalSoremindsmeofthebrilliantnipofthe
twoworlds．abovegroundandunderground，inSekineNobuoIs＜Phase−MotherEarth＞（1968），Whichisnow

asawhistlingarrowofthe“Monohhal’．

However，here，WhatIwouldliketonotethatitlSnOttheinfluenceof“Mono−ha”to“Gutai’’，butratherthefact

that”Gutai”wasagroupwhlChgreedilyswallowedvariousabstractexpressionsfromtimetotimefromthe

approachof“newness”・IfthelatestexpressionofartisamirrorrenectingtheZeitgeist，itcanbesaidthatthe

WOrks・Which“Gutai”producedover18years，Wereindeedthe“Gutai（concrete）”oqectsofJapan’sZeitgeist

fromthe1950stothe1960s

Wewholiveintheyear2017haveatendencytograsptheworldviewandtheexistentlalquestionofthe
‘‘Gutai”and“Mono−ha’’artistsaround19700nlyasaphenomenon・However，WeShouldnotforgetthaton

thesebackgrounds・Seenineventssuchasthestudentmovementandantirwar／peacemovements，therewere

OqeCtionstotraditionalValuesandworldviewsorlglnatingfromtheyounggeneration，SOinotherwords．there

WaSSPiritualsoilwheresuchaviewpointcouldbeborn．

Inthatsense・Imai．stwosmallpaintingsmakemegenuinelyfeeltheyear1971rbutthisisactuallynotthe

endofthestoryIn2010，about40yearsaftertheGutaiArtSmallWorkExhlbition，aftertotallyforgettingthe

existenceofthesetwopaintings，Imaiundertooktheseries＜ThoughtsonFrames＞【Cat．no．1，12】，Whichhas

almostthesameformatasthesepreviousworks Did2010recalltheyear1971，Ordid1971sneakintothe

year2010？Eitherwayナlmalls401eaト01dsensibility・WhichwasasleeplnImailsbody・WaSeVOkedintheyear

2010，demandinglhesametechnlquetOtheartist，anddrovehimtowardcreation．

Notonlythat，butsixyearsa鮎rthereleaseofthe＜ThoughtsonFrames＞Seriesin2011，thepaintingcreated

in1971wasdiscoveredinhisatelierinthisopportunity・andbothworkswhichhadoriginal1ybeencreated

asdifferentworkswillbeexhibitedinthesamespaceforthe丘rsttime Then，Whatwlllhappen？The1971

Paintingbecomestheforegroundofthe2010painting‥nOtOnlythestruCtureOfthepaintingandtheworldare

reversed・butalsotimeltSelfisreversed・andasiftheywereaslnglepleCeOfartwork・theybeginplaymgln

POlyphony・

Asifithadbeensecretlypreparedfordecades．orhadbeendoomedfromthebeginning，鉦omthisreunionand

encounterafter40yearsJcannothelpfeelingthedepthofartasamentalactivityandthemysteryofit・

（Figurell lFigure2】     【Flgure3】

CaptlOnS：

lFigurel】Co−PrOductionofGutaiMembers＜Garder10nGarden＞（detall）OutdoorexhibitionatExpo’70Museum

（SourceNORIOIMAI．Axel＆MayVervoordtFoundation，2013p43．Photo．ImalNor10）

lFlgure21lmalNorio＜EXISTENCE＞1971ThelOthContemporaryArtExhlbltlOn

（Source●NORIOIMAI，Axel＆MayVerv00rdtFoundation，2013p49・Photo・AnzalShlgeO）

lFlgure3日malNoriolnstallationwithemulsionputtyGalleryMori’sForm，197LPhotoNatsulaniHideo