“A Test Tube” of New Art: Naiqua and Rental Galleries in 1960s Japan

Shinohara Ushio, Oiran, c. 1966. Fluorescent paint, lacquer paint, and acrylic sheet on canvas mounted on board; 26.5 x 26.3 x 3.7 cm. Private collection (formerly collection of Naiqua Gallery/Miyata Kunio). Photo © Gilbert Plantinga. 

Reiko Tomii
Independent Scholar, Curator, and PoNJA-GenKon Co-director
January 21, 2021; 6–7:30PM

Webinar

In recent years, the idea of multiple modernisms has been increasingly accepted in world art history. The multiplicity of modernism means that each has its own origins and paths of development, informed by local situations and transnational or global encounters. In deciphering a given modernism, caution must be taken against the facile assumptions of universality, since “universal” is frequently a tacit assimilation of “Euro-American.” Those locally situated practices constitute “landmines,” especially when studying 1960s art in Japan, such as “Rental gallery,” or kashi garō.

The lecture will be followed by a response from Dr. Hiro Rika of Occidental College, and then will be open for a Q & A session. This lecture is co-sponsored by PoNJA-GenKon.