September 19, 2022

The Timeless Imagination of Yves Klein: Uncertainty and the Immateriality

1 October 2022 — 5 March 2023
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan

This exhibition focuses on French artist Yves Klein, who was active in the 1950s and 1960s, in addition to some of his contemporaries from the Italian Spatialism and Japanese Gutai movements as well as contemporary artists, highlighting the theme of immateriality that is common to their art. From the tabula rasa of the devastated postwar period, Yves Klein emerged comet-like, an artist in search of a new humanity. By thoroughly promoting a dematerialization of art that does not rely solely on materials and supports, Klein had a profound influence not only on his contemporaries, but also later generations of artists.

Today, we are affected by a myriad of “invisible things” such as climate change, viruses, and the confusion created by the information environment of the internet, and are being confronted by many disasters and divisions amidst the uncertainty of not being able to perceive their true nature. The creative explorations into immateriality by Yves Klein and other innovative artists such as Norio Imai, Kimsooja and Kazuo Shiraga featured in this exhibition promise to provide us with the imagination needed to overcome the uncertainties we face today.

For more information, visit www.kanazawa21.jp