Major retrospective of Christian Boltanski, the artist of space | ART
ART | A Leading Figure in Contemporary French Art
Christian Boltanski's Largest Retrospective in Japan
Held at The National Art Center, Tokyo in Roppongi
The exhibition "Christian Boltanski - Lifetime" offers a comprehensive look at the work of Christian Boltanski (1944–), a leading figure in contemporary French art. It will be held from Wednesday, June 12 to Monday, September 2, 2019, at The National Art Center, Tokyo, in Roppongi. During the exhibition, installations created by the artist himself, who calls himself an "artist of space," will be displayed, tailored to the exhibition venue.
Text by OZAKI Sayaka
Evoking History, Memory, and Traces of Individual Existence
A Survey of the Artist's Half-Century Career
Christian Boltanski is one of France's foremost contemporary artists.
He began by releasing short films in the late 1960s, and in the 1970s, he actively used photography to create works exploring memory, both personal and collective, gaining significant attention.
In the 1980s, he tackled religious themes through installations using light, earning international acclaim. "Monument," released in 1986, reuses children's portraits from Boltanski's earlier works, with the photographs arranged like an altar.
Christian Boltanski © Christian Boltanski / ADAGP, Paris, 2019, Photo by Didier Plowy
"Monument," 1986 / Photographs, frames, sockets, light bulbs, electrical cords / Artist's collection © Christian Boltanski / ADAGP, Paris, 2019, Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem by Elie Posner
"Chamber (Canada)," 1988 / Clothing / Artist's collection © Christian Boltanski / ADAGP, Paris, 2019, © Yedessa Hendeles Art Foundation, Toronto, Photo by Robert Keziere
The piece emanates a sacred atmosphere, illuminated by the light of the bulbs.
In 1988, he presented "Chamber (Canada)," a work featuring a large quantity of used clothing hung on a wall.
The title "(Canada)" also refers to the place where inmates' belongings were stored in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The vast collection of used clothing serves to highlight the presence of countless individuals.
The Holocaust during World War II is also connected to Boltanski's own Jewish heritage.
Through these diverse methods, Boltanski has consistently explored themes of history, memory, death, and the traces of human existence.
Boltanski's work, which has garnered international attention, has been exhibited at major international contemporary art events such as Documenta (Kassel, Germany) and the Venice Biennale, expanding his reach globally. In Japan, his work has been actively shown at the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and the Setouchi Triennale, and he held a solo exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum in 2016.
This exhibition is the largest retrospective of Boltanski's work in Japan to date, showcasing pieces from his early career to his most recent creations. It not only revisits Boltanski's diverse experiments from the 1970s to the present but is also planned with the artist's vision in mind, as he stated, "to make an exhibition feel like a single work." This major retrospective offers a comprehensive overview of Boltanski's world, demonstrating his continued creative drive after nearly 50 years in the art world.
Top / "Animitas (White)" 2017 / Video projection (HD, 10:03:6), silk paper balls / Artist's collection © Christian Boltanski / ADAGP, Paris, 2019, Courtesy Power Station of Art, Shanghai, Photo by Jiang Wenyi. Bottom left / "Coat" 2000 / Coats, sockets, light bulbs / Artist's collection © Christian Boltanski / ADAGP, Paris, 2019, Courtesy Power Station of Art, Shanghai, Photo by Jiang Wenyi. Bottom right / "Twilight" 2015 / Sockets, light bulbs, electrical cords / Artist's collection © Christian Boltanski / ADAGP, Paris, 2019, © Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, Photo by Gert Jan Van Rooij.
"Christian Boltanski – Lifetime"
Dates | Wednesday, June 12 – Monday, September 2, 2019
Venue | The National Art Center, Tokyo, Exhibition Gallery 2E
Address | 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Opening Hours | 10:00 – 18:00 *Fridays and Saturdays until 20:00 in June, and until 21:00 in July and August. *Last admission 30 minutes before closing.
Organizers | The National Art Center, Tokyo, The Asahi Shimbun
Sponsorship | Embassy of France in Japan / Institut Français du Japon
Cooperation | Agnès b. Japan Inc.