Beyond the Circle

This text was first published as the preface to Nippon no Dada 1920–1970 [Dada in Japan: 1920–1970] (Suiseisha, 1998), a Japanese publication based on the German catalog for Dada in Japan, an exhibition held at the Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf (now Museum Kunstpalast) in West Germany in 1983. Shirakawa Yoshio, the author of this essay, studied art in West Germany and, upon returning to Japan, began exhibiting actively as an artist in addition to his work in criticism and curation. Shirakawa organized the Dada in Japan exhibition and edited Nippon no Dada.
In this essay, Shirakawa attempts to provide a genealogy of the avant-garde artist groups of postwar Japan, beginning with the Taishō era Mavo, which developed under the influence of Western Dadaism and was followed by Gutai Art Association, Hi-Red Center, and Zero Jigen (Zero Dimension), among others.
As suggested by the title, “Beyond the Circle,” for Shirakawa, the key concept of this text is the motif of the circle. This motif has been taken up by many artists and art critics to describe the idiosyncrasies of postwar Japanese art, among them Hikosaka Naoyoshi in “Tojirareta enkan no kanata – Gutai no kiseki kara nani o” [Beyond the closed circle – What can we learn from Gutai’s trajectory?] (Bijutsu techō, 1973), Sawaragi Noi in Nihon/gendai/bijutsu [Japanese/contemporary/art] (Shinchosha, 1998), and Nakazawa Hideki in Gendai bijutsushi nihonhen 1945–2014 [Art history: Japan 1945–2014] (ART DIVER, 2014). On one hand, these historical interpretations based on the motif of circularity, including Shirakawa’s discussion here, have provided a crucial perspective to understandings of postwar Japanese art. On the other hand, they have also been the subject of much debate, with some commentators critical of the view of postwar Japanese art history as cyclical in nature.

Title

Beyond the Circle

Author

Shirakawa Yoshio

First published

1987

Translation

Daria Melnikova

Editing

Yung-Hsiang Kao, Shirabe Bunmei

Design

Ian Lynam

Theme

Collectivism

First Posted Online

2022-08-12

Last modified

2022-08-12

© 2022 Shirakawa Yoshio + Bunka-cho Art Platform Japan

The newly published English translations on this website (https://artplatform.go.jp) can be used without permission only for the purposes of education, research, critique, survey, and the like. English translations cannot be copied for the purpose of sale or distribution. You must comply with the Rules Governing the Use of the English Translations.

Citation

Footnote/endnote: Shirakawa Yoshio, "Beyond the Circle," trans. Daria Melnikova, Bunka-cho Art Platform Japan, posted August 12, 2022, artplatform.go.jp/readings/R202208.

Bibliography: Shirakawa Yoshio. "Beyond the Circle." Translated by Daria Melnikova. Bunka-cho Art Platform Japan. Posted August 12, 2022, artplatform.go.jp/readings/R202208.

Original Japanese Edition

Shirakawa Yoshio “Enkan no kanata e” in Nippon no Dada 1920–1970 (Tokyo: Kaze no Bara, 1988). Reprinted in Nippon no Dada 1920–1970 (Tokyo: Suiseisha, 2005), 7–11.

白川昌生「円環の彼方へ」『日本のダダ 1920-1970』風の薔薇、1988年。再録『日本のダダ 1920-1970 (増補新版) 』水声社、2005年、7–11頁。

National Diet Library(NDL)

First printed: https://id.ndl.go.jp/bib/000001958980
Reprinted: https://id.ndl.go.jp/bib/000007777059

ISBN

『日本のダダ 1920-1970』風の薔薇: 978-4-89176-219-3 『日本のダダ 1920-1970 (増補新版) 』水声社: 978-4-89176-558-3