Parergon: Japanese Art of the 1980s and 1990s

Parergon: Japanese Art of the 1980s and 1990s brings together some of the most enigmatic works that were first generated during a rich two-decade period that are pivotal to the way we understand contemporary Japanese art today. In the aftermath of the conceptual reconsideration of the object and relationality spearheaded by Mono-ha in the 1970s, this era opened up new critical engagements with language and medium where artists explored expansions in installation, performance, and experimental multi-genre practices. This book presents the work of over twenty-five artists, focusing on themes of retro-futurism, noir, satire, and simulation, as well as those that probe Japan's own avant-garde histories, modernist practices, and national boundaries. Including a dedicated section to Japanese noise and electroacoustic practices as documented in the archives of photography, journals, and vinyl records from Tokyo's experimental underground.… (more)