Dialogue with Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) is famed for a broad spectrum of activity that ranged from the deeply abstract, such as sculpting with fat and felt, to ‘aktion’ (actions) that had direct social and political significance. For this German-born artist who had experienced World War II, the act of participating in society to shape the future was a form of art that he called ‘social sculpture’.

This exhibition, at the in-house gallery of Omotesando’s fashionable Gyre complex, takes an imaginative approach to exploring Beuys’ continued relevance from a Japanese perspective. Here, objects that Beuys used in his aktion is displayed within museum-style vitrines. These glass cases are presented as ‘complete’ Beuys works, and arranged in a manner that forms engaging dialogues with five Japanese contemporary artists from the postwar period. These noteworthy individuals include painter Akira Kamo, photographer Naoya Hatakeyama, and conceptual artist Wakae Kanji.