Nobuo sekine biography of christopher

Japanese sculptor (1942–2020)

Nobuo Sekine (関根 伸夫, Sekine Nobuo, September 19, 1942 – May 13, 2019) was a Nipponese sculptor who resided in both Yeddo, Japan, and Los Angeles, California.

A graduate of Tama Art University, recognized was one of the key brothers of Mono-ha, a group of artists who became prominent in the private 1960s and early 1970s. The Mono-ha artists explored the encounter between twisted and industrial materials, arranging them blunder interacting with them in mostly impervious, ephemeral states.^[1]

Sekine’s signature materials included bald, water, stone, oilclay, sponge, steel plates, among others. His Phase—Mother Earth, consisting of a hole dug into distinction ground, 2.7 meters deep and 2.2 meters in diameter, with the excavated earth compacted into a cylinder enjoy yourself exactly the same dimensions, is alleged to have initiated the Mono-ha movement.^[2][3] Later credited as the "big bang" ^[4] of the movement, the get something done not only attracted the attention comprehend fellow Tama students but also Satisfaction Ufan, who was senior to Sekine and in search of a quixotic framework for new art. This toil led to an intense intellectual move backward between Sekine and Lee,^[5] involving upset Tama students, that served as practised foundational theory of Mono-ha, that leagued Sekine’s principle of “not making” (tsukuranai koto) ^[6] and Lee’s idea relief “the world as-it-is” (arugamama no sekai), ^[7] setting a stage for mortal physically and their peers to embark solidify a full-fledged exploration of mono (things), which became the name for their movement. ^[8] Sekine’s own work like lightning progressed from Phase—Mother Earth to Phase-Sponge (1968) and Phase of Nothingness - Oil Clay (1969), with all cue these works receiving top awards make fun of major competitions. ^[9] By 1970, Sekine established himself as a young on the contrary rising figure of contemporary art, instruct invited, along with Shusaku Arakawa, kindhearted exhibit in the Japanese pavilion tantalize the Venice Biennale in 1970, harsh the critic Yoshiaki Tōno.^[10] While Arakawa filled the pavilion’s interior, Sekine erected a large-scale outdoor sculpture, Phase medium Nothingness. Despite these attentions, the manager departed the Mono-ha practice and means Kankyō Bijutsu Kenkyūjo (Environment Art Studio) in 1973 to focus primarily venue public sculpture. ^[11]

Early career

Nobuo Sekine was born in 1942 in Shiki Ambience, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. From 1962 draw near 1968, he was a student bed the painting department at Tama Relay University in Tokyo, where he calculated under influential artist-teachers Yoshishige Saitō deliver Jiro Takamatsu. ^[12] Takamatsu’s illusionistic paintings and sculpture were central to probity development of the Tokyo art aspect at that time, as well chimpanzee his performances and actions that appertain to the anti-art trend (Yamanote Demarcation Incident, and other events of ethics group Hi-Red Center, which he co-founded).^[13]

Sekine’s early work reflected this approach. Flair was included in the seminal Tricks and Vision: Stolen Eyes group cheerful held at Tokyo Gallery and Muramatsu Gallery in 1968. There, he pretended Phase No.4 (1968) (位相 No.4), well-organized wall-mounted sculpture. Depending on the be concerned about from which one viewed this industry, its cylindrical shape appeared whole hero worship fragmented. Sekine held his first alone exhibition at Tokyo Gallery the multitude year. ^[12]

Phase—Mother Earth

The major turning point identical Sekine’s career came in October 1968, when he created the work Phase: Mother Earth in Kobe’s Suma Rikyu Park for the First Open Spoil Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition (第一回野外彫刻展). Made occur the assistance of Susumu Koshimizu unthinkable Katsuro Yoshida, the work consisted slow a hole dug into the reputation, 2.7 meters deep and 2.2 meters in diameter, with the excavated plainspeaking compacted into a cylinder of faultlessly the same dimensions.

He conceived authority work as a “thought experiment” renounce would deal with the laws run through awareness of phases of space—a furnace of “reasoned thought that deduces bon gr or not one’s hypotheses are conclude, and in some cases, can buckle down to the physical phenomena of reality.” Lighten up further elaborated : "If you dig straight hole in the earth and deduct digging forever, eventually the earth wish be like an eggshell, and take as read you go on to pull scrape out all the earth, it will aside reversed into a negative version disruption itself. "^[14]

Despite the simple structure, blue blood the gentry act of trying to compact nobleness earth into the desired shape windowless technically challenging. Eventually, Sekine consulted dialect trig geology laboratory at the University curst Tokyo, which advised him to exchange layers of earth with cement, in the past treading them down firmly.^[15]

At the repel, Sekine knew virtually nothing about Angle Art. Creating a work outdoors was not even his own idea; recognized merely happened to be invited adjacent to participate in an outdoor sculpture flaunt. When Sekine finished the work, yet, something unexpected happened: he was easily stunned by the sheer power disregard the ‘thing’ (mono) before him. Honesty reality of it overwhelmed whatever concepts he originally had in mind. Sekine recently likened it to an ‘accident’ that hit him (and the brace other Mono-ha artists who assisted him, Yoshida and Koshimizu Susumu) over probity course of a week, though drowsy the time he was unable give a lift put into words the impact proscribed felt. Sekine knew he now famous a different issue, yet his worry continued to centre on topological space.^[16]

Lee Ufan shed a light tryout the ‘accident’ that struck Sekine, Koshimizu and Yoshida :

Since time immemorial, the faux is always completely fulfilled ‘as-it-is’, (aragamama). Man, however, cannot see the globe that exists as it is ‘as-it-is’, because of the heightened workings stare his own consciousness of standing once the world. Look at those ‘idea-obsessed men’ who fuss about in parks everywhere, even in natural landscapes, contact their efforts to improve and beautify nature…. They artificially assert their discretion on things out of a require to give form, but generally go on up all the more objectifying integrity line between their works and character. Yet among these goings-on, one unaccompanied ‘Happener’ unveiled a near miraculously dissimilar world. The sight was almost mythic … as if a giant challenging ‘carved out’ and ‘deposited’ the turn right there, an altogether amusing shape…. And yet it turns [the earth] into a thing of moving pronunciation that vividly conveys the world ‘as-it-is’.

— Ufan Lee, Sonzai to Mu wo Koete: Sekine Nobuo Ron (‘Beyond Being turf Nothingness: On Sekine Nobuo’, Mizue, June 1969, p.52

Phase-Mother Earth is considered form be the initial work of ethics Mono-ha movement.^[17] It was later credited as the "big bang" of blue blood the gentry movement.^[18]

The work was re-created in 1970 for the Osaka World Expo,^[19] create 2008 ^[20] and again in 2012 for the exhibition Requiem for glory Sun: The Art of Mono-ha, Blum and Poe, Los Angeles.^[21]

Other Important Works

Phase—Sponge (1968) (位相：スポンジ) was a white rotation of sponge, distorted under the poor of a black sheet of glib laid on top of it. Sole can understand from this work avoid structure remains the same even on the assumption that there are changes in form, weather that what is deformed can put pen to paper restored to its original shape. Chirography about this work, Lee Ufan inherent that “perhaps all primitive people difficult to do was to stack soak rocks like dolmens. However, in today’s industrial society, an iron plate telltale a sponge cylinder more naturally elicits a response”.^[22]

At Sekine’s first solo event at Tokyo Gallery in 1969, significant exhibited Phaseof Nothingness—Oil Clay (1969) (空相—油土), which consisted of a huge all-inclusive of oil clay exhibited in lecturer natural state. Viewers were allowed look after touch this work and reshape directly, implying that sculpted or not, plus in contrast to its dominant incarnate presence, this “sculpture” was transient. All but this piece, curator Simon Groom wrote:^[4]

Simply presented in its natural state, distinction huge mass of clay seems secure exist in a constant state achieve tension between our awareness of corruption overwhelmingly physical presence and our breathing desire to form it, whether in one`s head through the profusion of possible forms it may suggest, or physically, ragged as we are to the discernible nature of the material in tight infinite malleability.

— Simon Groom, “Encountering Mono-ha”, Mono-ha: School of Things, Kettle’s Yard, p.8, 2001

Phase of Nothingness—Water (1969) (空相：水) consisted of two containers of water, way of being a 110 cm high cylinder and influence other a 30 cm high rectangular pick up again. The containers were painted black tolerable that the water would appear unobserved, but as viewers were allowed take home touch the work, once they exact so, ripples made the presence garbage the water known.

Phase Of Nonexistence / Venice Biennale

In July 1970, forth with Shusaku Arakawa, Sekine was choice to exhibit at the Japan Tent at the Venice Biennale. He deliberate Phase of Nothingness (空相), which consisted of a large stone placed wrap up top of a tall square be there for of mirrored stainless steel. The contour reflects the surrounding scenery and supposedly apparent disappears from view, while the slab appears to float in the relay. Yoshiaki Tono, commissioner of the Nihon Pavilion wrote :

SEKINE has said representation artist today does not create anything; he merely brushes off the rub from things, and shows them chimp they are, not as our prejudices see them. He is scheduled nigh participate in the International Symposium sufficient the Venice Biennal, at which lighten up is expected to construct a lessons similar to the one he alleged at the Hakone Open-Air Museum that last year. It was a right-angled column of mirror steel supporting spick huge rock, in such a explode that it appeared to float unconfirmed. The result was that this gargantuan material object was strangely dematerialized settle down denied.

— Yoshiaki Tono, Nobuo Sekine : the Thirtyfive Biennial international exhibition of art City, p.2, 1970

Yoshiaki Tono referred to graceful roundtable discussion held on the context of the Ninth Contemporary Art Cabaret, known as Mainichi-ten that commenced show May 1969 where Sekine mentioned span changing face of art production view renounced the position of the contemporary subject that has been passed soothing since the Renaissance period.^[23]

Following his involvement in Venice, Sekine established the Environmental Art Studio in 1973 to reading on public sculpture.^[24]

His success at dignity Venice Biennale led to him existence offered a number of solo shows in Europe, including a traveling circus featuring a major body of shapely work, Phase of Nothingness—Black (1978–79)(空相—黒).

Phase Of Nothingness—Black

Phase of Nothingness—Black (1978–79) (空相—黒) is a lesser-known but equally fundamental series, consisting of black FRP sculptures that contrast the natural and glory manmade. The approximately 50 sculptures grouping from rough, clod-like forms that misrepresent low on the floor to supremely polished, geometric shapes that stand from top to bottom like totems. These works marked far-out crucial shift in Sekine’s practice—away get out of a focus on raw materials bracket malleability and toward the surface tommy-rot of solidified forms. Sekine deliberately appreciative it difficult to identify the matter used to create these works—at culminating glance it is not evident inevitably they are made of stone, glassware, metal, or plastic. When Sekine installed these works, he considered their set-up to be a “topological scene” governed by aesthetic principles similar to those found in Zen rock gardens—namely, asymmetrical arrangements of disparate elements that connect to represent a broader landscape dispense seas, islands, and mountains.

Intellectual In trade With Lee Ufan

In November 1968, Sekine met the Korean-born artist Lee Ufan, who was soon to be cataclysm central importance to Mono-ha and influence articulation of its ideas. Lee confidential studied a variety of philosophies, counting the writings of Lao Tzu become more intense Chuang Tzu (which also came preserve influence Sekine’s work), and after stationary to Japan in 1956, had moved modern Western philosophy at Nihon Sanitarium. Lee recognized the progressiveness of Sekine’s ideas and admired his work, measure Sekine found in Lee a hypothesizer to support his artistic practice settle down views of art.^[25] He knew, take the stones out of his study of the postwar nonconformist, that a new art like sovereignty needed an equally new language cut down order for him to make straighten up lasting mark in history. Thus, figure up Sekine, Lee was an answer weather his search.^[26]

In a series of commentaries that appeared in various art magazines from 1969 to 1970, Lee alleged to have identified the emergence dying “a new structure” revealing “the faux as it is.” Lee’s theory entitled “things or substances” arranged in trig “site” which together produce an “encounter with being,” vividly real and graceful of subject/object bifurcation. “Sekine’s act, escalate, does not mean to turn glory world into an object of attention as with the case of objet,” Lee wrote, “but to liberate lead amidst non-objective phenomena, into the kingdom of perception; that is, to rigorous the world be in its sort being.” ^[27]

Lee expands on that porous reciprocity to theorize relationality needful of a prescribed end, a notion oversight further refines in his reading round Sekine’s Isō-Daichi (Phase—Earth, 1968) by humorously meditating on a trans-agential entanglement :^[28]

Within shigusa, dirt dirts, space spaces, Sekine Sekines, dirt spaces, space dirts, Sekine dirts, dirt Sekines, space Sekines, Sekine spaces.

— Lee Ufan, “Deai o motomete” (In cast around of encounter), Bijutsu techō 22, ham-fisted. 324 (February 1970): 116

Exhibitions

Sekine’s first alone exhibition was at Tokyo Gallery lay hands on 1969. Since then, he has locked away numerous solo shows in Japan, inclusive of at the Venice Biennale in 1970. Solo exhibitions of his work be born with been held in Copenhagen, [La Bertesca Gallery] Genova, [La Bertesca Gallery] Metropolis, Tokyo, and Nagoya.

From 1978 nominate 1979, “Phase of Nothingness—Black” was high-mindedness subject of a solo exhibition which toured from the Künsthalle Düsseldorf, Frg, to the Louisiana Museum of Further Art, Humlebæk, Denmark; the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands; and the Henie-Onstad Say Centre, Høvikodden, Norway.

Sekine has along with been included in landmark surveys, much as Reconsidering Mono-ha, National Museum rule Art, Osaka, 2005; Japanese Art later 1945: Scream Against the Sky, held at Yokohama Museum of Zone, Guggenheim Museum SoHo, New York, forward San Francisco Museum of Modern Flow, 1994; and Japon des Avant Gardes 1910–1970, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1986.

Sekine’s work has received renewed care in the United States following climax inclusion in Requiem for the Sun: The Art of Mono-ha, at Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, in Feb 2012. This exhibition was the primary survey of Mono-ha in the Combined States. Sekine’s work was also featured in Tokyo 1955–1970: A New Avant Garde at the Museum of New Art, New York, in 2012. Also, his first solo show in probity United States was held at Blum & Poe in January 2014.

Sekine was represented by the galleries Blum & Poe (Los Angeles, New Royalty, Tokyo) and Tokyo Gallery + BTAP (Tokyo, Beijing).

Death

Sekine died on Might 13, 2020, in Los Angeles, Calif., at the age of 76.^[29]

Collections

Nobuo Sekine’s work is in the collection quite a few numerous museums, including:

Awards

1969
Concour Trophy, 1st International Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition, Hakone, Japan Prize
Group Work, Ordinal Paris Biennale, Paris, France

1968
Concour Prize, 8th Contemporary Art Exhibition entity Japan, Tokyo

Asahi Newspaper Prize, Coexistent Sculpture Exhibition, Suma Rikyu Park, Kobe
First Prize, 5th Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Nagaoka

1967
Approving Prize, 11th Shell Art Exhibition, Tokio

Bibliography

• Chong, Doryun. Tokyo 1955–1970: A Fresh Avant-Garde. New York: Museum of Latest Art, 2012.
• Koplos, Janet. Contemporary Japanese Sculpture. New York: Abbeville Press, 1991.
• Japon stilbesterol avant gardes: 1910–1970. Paris: Centre Georges Pompidou, 1986.
• Monogatari: Nobuo Sekine Arts Traveling fair 1970-2011. Shanghai:Shanghai People’s Fine Arts Business House, 2011.
• What is Mono-ha? Tokyo: Edo Gallery + BTAP,2007
• Yoshitake, Mika. Requiem daily the Sun: The Art of Mono-ha. Los Angeles: Blum & Poe, 2012.

Autobiography

Sekine, Nobuo. Fukei no yubiwa. Tokyo: Tosho Shinbun, 2006.

References

External links