Japan and Modern Asian Art

Abstract

In the early 2010s when Chinese modern and contemporary art has conquered international art markets and exhibition schedules it may be difficult to conceive that there was a very large exposure to this art in Japan in the 1990s, one which had begun in the 1950s, and that this extended to an interest in the modern art of many other Asian countries. I gave a public lecture on this theme in 2001 and thought I would update the paper someday, but the plethora of exhibitions and actors in Japan now has made this too difficult. Those familiar with this field nowadays will notice how many of the people mentioned in my paper have now become prominent in the Japanese art world, and how many of the Asian artists named in the appendicies are now widely known in international exhibitions. Many of the problems I identify in Japanese reception of modern Asian art are still present today, so we can see from it how much, or how little, the later circulation of modern Asian art in international biennales has changed this. The paper thus constitutes a contribution to the archaeology of the contemporary, and is one which I hope has recovered systematically the details of this era in Japan in a way which may be followed up by others.