八月 28, 2024

Norio Imai at the Ashiya City Museum, Japan

Drawing Out the Long Future

14.09 - 17.11.2024

Norio Imai, born in Osaka in 1946, first exhibited at the 14th Gutai Art Exhibition in 1964 while still a student at Osaka Municipal High School of Design, becoming the youngest artist to join the Gutai Art Association (Gutai) the following year. In 1966, he won first prize at the 10th Shell Art Award and held a solo exhibition at the Gutai Pinacotheca in July of the same year. Alongside presenting paintings, sculptures, and motorized works with Gutai, he showcased video and light-based works at events such as the 1st Sogetsu Experimental Film Festival (Sogetsu Hall, Tokyo, 1967) and Contemporary Space '68: Light and Environment (Sogo, Kobe, 1968). As a member of Gutai's new generation, he made significant contributions.

From the 1970s onwards, Imai produced numerous works exploring fundamental themes like "space," "time," "phenomenon," and "existence" through media including photography, video, and sound. He also engaged in public art projects, placing works in communal spaces, and continued to actively present his work both domestically and internationally.

This exhibition marks the first solo show of Norio Imai at a museum, celebrating his 60-year career. It features a comprehensive look at his diverse body of work, from his early days in the 1960s to the 1980s, including two-dimensional, photographic, and video works, as well as pieces created during the COVID-19 pandemic and new works for this exhibition. The show aims to reveal the lesser-known aspects of Norio Imai's artistic journey and contributions.