Unknown Post-War Japanese Avant-Garde Art ② - Exhibition "Kyushu-ha in Tokyo Area" >> "Materials Related to Kyushu-ha and Works by Kyushu-ha Artists" at Mikke Gallery

“The country painters went on a rampage”.

The post-war Japanese avant-garde art group "Kyushu-ha". The words above, spoken by one of its key members, Mokuma Kikuhata, seem to describe the group best.

On May 10th, I went to the talk event (Yozo Yamaguchi x Hiroki Yamamoto) for the "Kyushu-ha in Tokyo Area" exhibition, Part 2: "Materials Related to Kyushu-ha and Works by Kyushu-ha Artists" and listened to their discussion.

Kyushu-ha, which began in Fukuoka City in 1957 and lasted for about 10 years, was not a group organized to achieve specific goals. It was a much looser connection; people came and went, and there was no leader.

However, it seems that Takami Sakurai, who taught himself to paint while writing poetry, managed the activities to some extent. He appears to have been the de facto leader.
It is said that when Sakurai was selected for the Nika Exhibition in 1955, he was captivated by the work of Osamu Ochi that he saw at the venue. Ochi was a talent recognized by Taro Okamoto, having been selected for the exhibition on his first submission. The two met in Fukuoka the following year and pushed forward toward the formation of Kyushu-ha.

Incidentally, it is said that several others, including Shuzaburo Saito (an artist featured in the first exhibition) who joined later, were selected for the aforementioned Nika Exhibition.

I previously wrote that Kyushu-ha was based in Fukuoka while being conscious of Tokyo. However, it is understood that even before the formation, each of them was painting in their own way and looking for opportunities to present their work in Tokyo.

Even so, it costs money to transport works to show them in Tokyo. Everyone who participated in Kyushu-ha was a laborer (it seems some were involved with the Mitsui Miike Coal Mine), and they were in a situation that could hardly be called wealthy. It is said that even if they sent their works to Tokyo, they often could not afford to have them returned, so they would just leave them behind.

In the provinces at that time, there were no art galleries, let alone museums. With no place to present their work, Mr. Yamamoto frankly asked how they were able to maintain the mentality of wanting to become painters.
Hmm, indeed... I nodded deeply.

However, not giving in to such circumstances, they boldly took on challenges, such as holding art exhibitions on the street using the outer walls of the Fukuoka Prefectural Government building.

The next photo ↓ is that. It is the venue scene of the
"Persona Exhibition" (1956), a poetry and painting exhibition considered to be the catalyst for the formation of Kyushu-ha. It conveys their activities at the time to the present day.

Such guerrilla exhibitions and outdoor exhibitions are no longer rare today. However, in 1956, they must have made a strong impression. Truly avant-garde! ...is what I would like to say, but it does not seem that the members did it because they were avant-garde.

For example, as Mr. Yamamoto stated, one might be tempted to expect that this project was carried out strategically. But the answer that came back from Mr. Yamaguchi was, "Because there was no place to exhibit." Hearing that, what I felt was the desperation of them
.
In addition to using the outer walls of the prefectural government building, the method of displaying poetry
also reveals their desperation. Surprisingly, at the "Persona Exhibition", the poems were displayed on placards and lined up next to the paintings
.

(By the way, I mentioned earlier that Sakurai wrote poetry, but it is said that Kyushu-ha's activities initially centered on poetry, and painting was added later.) Placards evoke images of "demonstrations" or "protests." At first, I thought, "Nice idea!" because I was hoping they had planned it to look political. But in reality, it was "because they were close at hand
."
I was let down (laughs). But perhaps that is typical of them. The desire to somehow give shape to the poetry and painting exhibition comes through vividly.

I feel that at the root of Kyushu-ha's activities, along with an orientation toward the avant-garde, there was the desperation of artists living in the provinces, and the ingenuity that accompanied it had an aspect that created novelty.

Also, looking at the photos, I realized that everyone was so young! They might have been "struggling" = "rampaging" by exploding their energy and working recklessly.


The works of each member are also novel!

In terms of creation, it is said that Kikuhata and Ochi led.

I am also drawn to the work of the few female artists, Mitsuko Tabe.
Both Mr. Yamaguchi and Mr. Yamamoto agreed that when looking at the remaining materials, it is clear that she was very clever. Her conceptual work seems to reflect a clear intelligence.
In particular, the "Artificial Placenta" posted above is truly interesting and can be called a pioneering work that incorporates a feminist perspective.

All the works are attractive and eye-opening, but ironically, it is said that the eyes of art professionals began to turn to the individual members rather than Kyushu-ha as a group.

Also, since its formation, they continued to submit works to public exhibitions such as the Nika Exhibition, the Yomiuri Indépendant Exhibition, and prefectural exhibitions, but it is said that differences in direction arose, such as Kikuhata declaring an "anti-public exhibition" stance following his rejection from the Nika Exhibition, which led to a split.

In addition, differences in avant-garde consciousness among members became a topic of discussion, or disputes in labor union movements and other divisions, so to speak, at the level of daily life separate from art, seem to have combined.

Just then, "Neo-Dada" and others appeared, and Kyushu-ha, which had once been in a leading position in terms of sharpness, was overtaken...

Thus, due to various factors intricately intertwined, Kyushu-ha met its de facto end in 1959.

Although Kyushu-ha was eventually forgotten by history, it is said that Mr. Yamaguchi, who served as a curator at the Fukuoka Art Museum, and his predecessor, Reiji Kuroda, focused on it, conducted research and re-evaluation, and exhibitions gradually began to be held.

By the way, according to Mr. Yamaguchi, the Fukuoka Art Museum holds the most works by Kyushu-ha. Next is the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo! It is said that Kikuhata's "Slave Genealogy" (re-production) was once exhibited in the permanent collection.

When I visit the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the purpose is usually a special exhibition, and I watch the permanent exhibition as much as time permits, but I thought again that I should go to the permanent exhibition venue more actively!

Finally, I will briefly introduce some relatively new works from after the Kyushu-ha period (these are actual items on display).
(I couldn't take good photos, so these are just the ones I managed to capture... sweat)

I hold a sense of respect for such efforts to unearth history.

Although I can only convey a small part due to my lack of ability, I would be happy if this article helps even one more person know that a group called Kyushu-ha existed.

There is only one day left until the end of the exhibition, but if you are interested, please visit the exhibition!


* "Kyushu-ha in Tokyo Area" Exhibition
Phase 2 "Materials Related to Kyushu-ha and Works by Kyushu-ha Artists" - Until Wednesday, May 15th


Thank you for reading until the end.