Kishio Suga
The Existence of "Things" and the Eternity of "Site"
Iwate Museum of Art, Morioka, Japan
The Iwate Museum of Art is pleased to present Kishio Suga: The Existence of "Things" and the Eternity of "Site," an exhibition presented on the occasion of the museum’s 20th anniversary. This survey exhibition focuses on Suga's relationship with Iwate Prefecture, his home region and the site of many of his past exhibitions.
One of the key figures in Japan’s pivotal Mono-ha phenomenon of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Suga has realized a visionary practice of ephemeral, site-specific installations and performative interventions into the everyday environment. From almost imperceptible arrangements of natural materials at outdoor locations to sprawling structures presented in galleries and museums, his works challenge both the institution of art and anthropocentric perceptions of the world.
By placing everyday materials such as stone, wood, and metal in a space while intervening with simple actions, such as aligning and bending, Suga’s works prompt us to consider the relationships between materials, the sites they occupy, and the people with which they interact. Doing away with preconceived notions and delving into the essence of “things” and “sites” based on his own singular philosophy, Suga has fundamentally re-examined the nature of art.
The exhibition at the Iwate Museum of Art looks back at more than half a century of Suga’s artistic practice through a selection of some 120 works—including a piece made specifically for this exhibition—divided into ten-year periods and covering a wide range of media such as installation, relief, drawing, photography, and documentary film.
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Public programming
Sunday, December 19, 2-3:30pm
Screening: Kishio Suga’s Existence and Homicide (1999)
Saturday, January 15, 2-3:30pm
Talk: Kishio Suga and Akira Tatehata
Sunday, January 16, 2-2:30pm and 3:30-4pm
Screening: Kishio Suga’s Gathered–Release–Restriction (1997)