Kishio Suga - Cobra Museum, Amstelveen, NL, 2025
Mono-Ha is a Japanese art movement that emerged in response to commercial art of the USA in the 60s. Rejecting the traditional definition of a work of art, the movement embraed natural and industrial materials in a (mostly) unaltered state. Kishio Suga was one of the pioneers of this movement, and the retrospective exhibition of his career at the Cobra Museum had a wide range of his works: sketches, small pieces, full-room installations. Below are some notes I took in response to the exhibition.
similar to Arte Povera (Italian art movement using "poor" materials)
low intervention, leaving objects and presenting them as they are
Mono-ha = School of Things
exploring the relationship of materials to each other
when you introduce a person, it changes the relationship of the materials to the person. The interaction becomes something to perceive
expression is a form of living. finding the way objects want to express themselves
creating space for reflection, an invitation to silence
what boundaries do we impose on objects?
what happens if we just let things be? - ties into
letting materials speak in their own language
meaning is created by the situation in which the object exists, the context which we create for it
using natural materials like wood and stone was a rejection of rapid industrialization and postwar modernity
you can question if the compositions are "too simple" - does it count as art? is it too simple? what does it mean? But I personaly like the piees. They bring me a sense of calm, I find myself lost admiring their natural textures, considering how they relate to each other and flow in their compositions. Is that not enough? Does it need to have a "deeper meaning"? Is how the work makes people feel not enough?
it's clean and simple, but not perfect. Some lines are straight, some painted edges a messy. It's a combination of both. I like that it doesn't have to be perfect
