I like Art and Art likes Me
2021
Wooden canvas frame, beeswax, neon sign
Frame sizes: 2273 x 1818 mm, a neon sign size: 15 x 20 x 80 mm
Photo by Ujin Matsuo
I scratched the surfaces of canvas frames and poured beeswax over.After the wax hardened, the surfaces were flattened again.
Then, one of the canvas frame stretched a thin cotton clothe, and beeswax was melted by ironing heat and soaked in the clothe.
Wood shavings from scratching the surface of the canvas frame were placed at its feet and a neon sign showed “I like Art and Art likes me”.
This title is taken from Joseph Beuys's “I like America and America Likes Me (1974)” which attempts to highlight the interrelationship between white American society and American Indians as both other and coexistent.
The word of “Bijutsu” was made by Meiji government in 1873 by translating “Kunstgewerbe” in German, when they planned to exhibit to Vienna World Expo, so the word did not existed for a long time.
Thus, the concept of Art suddenly added to over formative culture until then in early Meiji era in Japan, and Art developed uniquely as Bijutsu in the far eastern country.
Bijutsu may be subordinated to Art, however, Bijutsu may not become the mainstream of Art at all, and there are sometimes occur Confusions and conflicts arise often in galapagosized Japanese Art world.
On the other hand, Art world is dominated by Western countries especially the United States, and continues developing.
However, the U.S has not been the center of Art world for a long time.
The success of Abstract Expressionism lead the U.S to the Art powerhouse after World War ll, and became the center of Art someday.
What is the difference between two countries?