I have never been to the Welcome Collection on Euston Road so I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised both by the space itself and by the exhibition on show called Souzou or Outsider Art from Japan. I did discover that just the word Souzou in Japanese as a dual meaning: creation and imagination basically a force that brings new ideas.
The artists on show have received no training, no tuition and are only interested in producing work for the sake of creation alone without an audience in mind and they have a variety of developmental, behavioural, cognitive disorders or mental illnesses and attend regularly or live in specialist care institutions. While in Europe what they do, the art they make would be seen as outsider art/art therapy in Japan they see it more as just 'production' a way of keeping busy. They prove that to be an artist one doesn't always need to have an art education as they spent many hours making art works, non functional ceramic objects for example of their choosing without been directed and trained; free to do what they pleased. Several terms spring to mind about the exhibition such as: well being, health, creativity and what we consider to be mainstream or marginal in the arts and why?
Overall the exhibition is divided in 6 sections starting from Language. This sections looks at how the artists deal with difficulty of language as communication for them it's challenging they use visual images, visual expression to release and get a way from the restrictions of their own language. For example Toshiko Yamanashi's love letters to her mother
Toshiko Yamanashi Love Letters to her Mother
She uses bright colours and movement instead of words I found it moving and effective while Mineo Ito and Ryoko Koda deconstruct their own names, Ito repeating it while Koda uses a single character in spatial exploration.
Komei Bekki Clay Totem like figures
The second section Making had one of my favourite works made by Komei Bekki small ceramics faces, bodies, long, tall flat to create a fast landscape of ceramics. He makes the sculptures with his mouth I think a ritual is an important element in his work and the work of Shota Katsube: a diminutive army of miniature action figures made from twist ties to fasten bin liners, really fun. Then I moved on to the section called representation. The way the artists see things and which raises questions of subjectivity and perception.
Shita Katsube Tiny action figures built out of twist ties
Takanari Nitta watercolours on black paper have an ethereal quality with juxtaposition of the titles which are inspires by mondane everyday objects.
Masaaki Oe who instead plays with his models of Ducth and American stereotypes on ideas of national identity.
The section Culture it's also interesting because it shows the artists having an awareness of their surroundings and culture so they do have a knowledge of a wider cultural context so all their creative work is not entirely based of the interior mind as one would think of Outsider Art. Masatashi Nishimoto' miniature models of buses show the obsession of the Japanese culture with transport and engineering.
I also really liked the maquettes by Shoichi Koga's
Shoichi Koga Ganesha Nan
I did look at how how they where made using cellophane, drawing paper, vinyl tapes which make one think of popular Japanese action fantasy films I mean really inventive. The final section of the exhibition shows works which reorder information as a way for the artist to understand or control the world he lives in and creating a parallel reality. The work of Kenich Yamazaki's is very inventive he created his work from a hospital ward just using graph paper a pen and a compass.
Kinichi Yamazaki Inversion
At the end of the exhibition I watched several videos about the artists it was inspiring to see the artists at work all in all a very well curated exhibition. Also inside the Welcome Collection there is a nice coffee shop and seating area with a bookshop.
No comments:
Post a Comment