#mono ha

[nobrashfestivity]

Susumu Koshimizu, 'Paper' 1969

[garadinervi]

Kishio Suga (菅 木志雄), Untitled, (woodcut on paper), 1981 [Aki Gallery, Taipei. © Kishio Suga]

[calcutta-lulu]

Nobuo Sekine "Phase—Mother Earth", 1968 Earth, cement Cylinder: 220 x 270 (diameter) cm, hole: 220 x 270 (diameter) cm Photo by Osamu Murai

Removing the mould from 'Phase - Mother Earth'

Sekine described the moment when they removed the mould:

“Faced with this solid block of raw earth, the power of this object of reality rendered everybody speechless, and we stood there, rooted to the spot… I just wondered at the power of the convex and concave earth, the sheer physicality of it. I could feel the passing of time’s quiet emptiness… That was the birth of ‘Mono-ha’.”

[paradiseisinthemind]

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 = thing

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

[altrbody]

"My desire to work as an artist began from a certain sense of absence, a feeling of something lacking. I had an urge to fill in that missing part. I think everyone has this sensation-we all share the feeling--so when I succeed in putting a form to the image in my mind, I have for a fleeting moment the illusion of complementing, of compensating for, that absence. But, of course, I can never really fill in the missing part, so I must continue to create my works. My works are not markedly individual in appearance. They are not the result of a desire to express my individuality. Rather I feel that they are something more universal. Of course, there is an implicit contradiction in this statement, but at least it applies on a conceptual level. I don't arrange my works by using any special, individualistic methods of formation. Most of my works are simple forms like circles. A perfect circle goes beyond the level of symbolic imagery. It is the simplest and most primordial form. Circles appear at the most festive and ritualistic occasions as well as at holy places. I have often said that while a circle spreads horizontally in form, it extends vertically in meaning. Thrusting forth from the very base of the earth toward the sky, a circle is like a magnetic field. It is within this context that I create circles. Although at one time I thought about this in terms of symbolism and allegory, I am not so conscious of these aspects at the present time. Even so, my work could still be interpreted in this way. From minimal art I learned about removing superfluous elements. The removal of unnecessary elements makes a given form more powerful. The idea of removing everything is also part of Zen thought. Zen Buddhist concepts permeate Japanese culture, and Zen Buddhism has had a significant influence on my ideas. After everything is re-moved, only the absolute remains. This principle is significant on the level of technique as well as providing a method for refining various concepts. I feel that this is very important. I did not adopt minimalism or conceptualism as a style, however, which is why my works are said to be romantic. It could be said that I am discussing literary matters, such as life and death, but these are important in the context of my reality. And however romantic that may be, it is only from that point that my works can be created. You need a single message, but that message should have a wide range of interpretations. The most fundamental issue for human beings is life and death. It is the very existence of human beings, human existence, that I want to express in my work." -Toshikatsu Endo

Toshikatsu Endo, Lotus, 1989.

Earth, air, sun, water, fire, and wood; 75 x diameter 360 cm.

[4eternal-life]

Katsuro Yoshida  (Japanese, 1943–1999)

Cut-off (Hang), 1969 /1986 

(Wood, rope, and stone)

https://www.collecteurs.com/article/mono-ha-material-state-of-mind

[anticbrvtalist]

Nobuo Sekine, Phase of Nothingness-—-Water, 1969

[currentinspiration]

REQUIEM FOR THE SUN: THE ART OF MONO-HA