Five Art University Exhibition Review by an Art Student (3/2)

On March 2nd, I rushed to see the exhibition on its final day at The National Art Center, Tokyo.

Since it was my first time visiting The National Art Center, I was also very excited to see Kisho Kurokawa's three-dimensional glass wall architecture.
Once inside, I saw many people holding cameras and photographing the space.

Five Art University Exhibition

The Five Art University Exhibition is the Joint Graduation and Completion Exhibition of the Five Art Universities in Tokyo, which consist of Tokyo Zokei University, Nihon University College of Art, Musashino Art University, Tama Art University, and Joshibi University of Art and Design.

Because five universities are gathered together, there are too many works!! I was worried about whether I could see everything in terms of time and physical stamina, but it gradually became fun and I had no trouble at all.

As an art student myself, I felt like I was looking at the works of seniors I knew. (Though I don't actually know anyone...) Unlike the works of famous artists, I really liked being able to feel the young, rushing energy.

Among them, I will introduce some works that I thought were really good and share my impressions of the exhibition as a whole.

Works that moved me

The appeal of this work cannot be conveyed in a photograph. This is because as the viewer moves and their line of sight changes, the white circle on the screen follows them. It is interesting because I don't know how it works.
It reminded me of how, when I was a child, I found it mysterious that the moon would follow me during night drives.

I couldn't take a picture of this work. This is because four little children were playing on the tatami mat that was part of the work. There were stones on the tatami, and paintings were displayed on the back. There was also a poem that looked like a diary. My honest impression was that I was very surprised to suddenly see children playing in a space packed with works from the Five Art University Exhibition, but the title of the work is "Children of the Universe," so I was very convinced, and I was moved by the fact that it is a work that is established in an instant.

Overall impression

Regardless of whether it was sculpture or painting, I felt that there were many works that were connected to the artist's own body. For example, facial modeling, limbs, naked bodies, etc.

Also, there were many works that had personal memories or experiences as their source and used that as a concept. I also tend to come up with ideas based on my personal experiences when I create works, so I felt relieved that it was okay to do so.

The boundary between craft and art

A while ago, at a university critique, the boundary between craft and art was discussed. (Here, craft refers to handicrafts, not industrial arts.)
What the professor said was, 'If you use knitting, patchwork, embroidery, handmade candles, etc., in your work, won't people think it looks like a craft or a product? And while it feels like being thought of that way is a negative thing, it might actually be the opposite; perhaps fine art that no one knows yet starts from here. In other words, it might be old-fashioned to treat craft and art as separate things and judge them accordingly.'
That really struck a chord with me, as I had the impression at the time, after seeing that work, of 'Can handicrafts become contemporary art?'

At the Five Art University Exhibition, I also saw several works that used patchwork and knitting. Many of them had an overwhelming size or meticulousness of work that had more mass than the material itself, and they were sublimated into three-dimensional works that transcended the realm of craft. Also, even with small works, it was interesting to see that the artist's experiences and thoughts described in the captions were very closely related.

＝If there is a concept, can a hand-knitted beanie also be a work of art? But what about works that are based solely on a concept?... If so, couldn't products in the handmade section of a roadside station also be claimed as works of art?

And so on. I felt that the relationship between craft and art is actually quite deep and interesting when you think about it properly, so I intend to study it from now on.

That is all.