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A SHORT HISTORY OF PERFORMANCE ARTS IN JAPANm(Text by MARUYAMA Tokio ----1999. from Asiatopia catalogue)
The rapid expansion of the Japanese economy starting from 1954 to the "oil shock" of 1973 cast both a bright and dark image on the period of the 1960's. The era of political confusion in the 60's and 70's caused by the protest movement against the ratification of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, the tremendous growth of the economy in the latter half of the 60's and the serious pollution problems and destruction of the environment --- all these various social issues and harmful influences inevitably had a strong impact on the awareness of artists of this period.
The avant-garde art of this age, based on "action," has in recent years taken firm root in the historical record. The activities of the "Gutai Art Union" have been especially predominant and they have an outstanding international reputation for their progressive "performance art." Other important activities of this era's art scene come to mind.
I believe that the art scene of this period (including the period from 1945) can be described as "oppression of the body and spirit." This is because the ways in which artists fought against and then come to terms with the social and political dissension of this period was the driving force for their art. Although this key phrase is used to describe the special character of this age, it also effectively describes the art following this period as well as recent Asian art in general.
In the period after 1970, the social and political consciousness of artists declined and artists looked within themselves for manifestations of their work that can best be described as "art for art's sake." When I was a student in university, I personally viewed individualistic, experimental forms of movement called "events" that were performed at galleries or outdoor spaces. These "events" were not as passionate as those of the previous era. They were more subdued and characterized by "formalism." Although they can be described as full of an "experimental spirit," they were often biased toward simple methodology without substance, and I felt this movement was already in a state of stagnation.
In Japan, the term "performance" began to be used in the latter part of the 1970s. At the beginning of the 70's in the West, it referred to bodily expression and movements that went beyond established standards and tradition. In Japan, it came to hold a similar meaning. This is also when I began to use "performance" in my creative activities. My personal view of "performance art" is that it is an effective method of rooting art in reality when such creative activities have a tendency to lose contact with real life.
In the 1980's, this term came to have a special meaning in Japan. Artists who went beyond the boundaries of art, music, Western dance, traditional Japanese dance (Butoh), theater and literature activated a new form of creative expression. Thus, a novel and unique kind of "performance art" was established in Japan led by people such as Oikawa Koshin who was at the center of the movement and who organized the Hinoemata Performance Festival"(1984). However, this movement was also affected by the apparent prosperity of the Japanese economy, and by the second half of the 80's, many artists were taken in by commercialism, thus reducing the impact of their art, and they disbanded and disappeared.
In the 1990's, after the collapse of the "bubble economy," the NIPAF was established with Shimoda Seiji as the director. This organization was created though the realization of the importance of creating a global network of artists for the effective recovery of performance arts. In recent years, "performance arts " has come to hold a broader meaning to refer to artistic expression crossing over a multitude of genres. At the same time, members of the younger generation are starting to take larger role and discovering new possibilities for their art.
