Gutai Art Association

273B-620

The Gutai group (具体) is the first radical, post-war artistic group in Japan. It was founded in 1954 by the painter Jiro Yoshihara in Osaka, Japan, in response to the reactionary artistic context of the time. This influential group was involved in large-scale multimedia environments, performances, and theatrical events and emphasizes the relationship between body and matter in pursuit of originality. The movement rejected traditional art styles in favor of performative immediacy.

In the Gutai manifesto, Yoshihara praised and paid his respect to both Pollock and the Frenchman Georges Mathieu, as their works are said to “emit the loud outcry of the material”. Yoshihara insisted Gutai had created a whole new and different style but being in the same artistic realm as Pollock.

“In Gutai Art, the human spirit and matter shake hands with each other while keeping their distance. Matter never compromises itself with the spirit; the spirit never dominates matter. When matter remains intact and exposes its characteristics, it starts telling a story and even cries out.”

--Yoshihara Jiro, Gutai Art Manifesto

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