Bijutsu Techo has been renewed. The June issue features "Art and Anthropology."
Bijutsu Techo, celebrating its 70th anniversary, will transition to a bimonthly publication starting with its June 2018 issue, released on May 7 (Monday), and will also begin selling a digital version.
The June issue, marking the first under its new format, features a special section on "Art and Anthropology."
Anthropology is the academic discipline that explores all phenomena related to human existence.
Its methodology, such as participant observation, and its emphasis on lived experience have, at times, influenced artists.
In turn, anthropology has a history of drawing from artistic methods to consider the nature of creative expression.
This special issue examines a range of practices at the intersection of art and anthropology, from works born of fieldwork to projects undertaken at research institutions.
The opening roundtable discussion features Chihiro Minato, photographer, visual anthropologist, and artistic director of "Aichi Triennale 2016"; Emiko Kasahara, an artist whose work explores church donation boxes worldwide and wartime ceramic grenades; and Mamoru Kawase, a visual anthropologist actively collaborating with artists. They discuss the handling of "images" from their distinct perspectives.
Part 1 introduces practices by artists and curators that intersect with anthropological thought.
It includes an interview with artist Motoyuki Shitamichi discussing the creative process behind his "torii" and "Forms of War" series, produced through fieldwork. Also featured are Mikako Yamaguchi, an anthropologist who shares a focus on hunting with artist Ami Inoue, and Uezuma Seimi, a young curator active in the field of anthropology.
Additionally, the section includes profiles of domestic and international artists whose work is informed by "anthropological thinking," as well as a retrospective on curatorial practices, beginning with the 1989 exhibition "Magicians of the Earth."
Part 2 focuses on the collaborations between anthropologists and the art world within academic research.
Beginning with a "Fundamentals" section that introduces key figures and basic concepts in anthropology with illustrations, it features a valuable long interview with the acclaimed anthropologist and filmmaker Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel, known for films like "Leviathan," and explores the research scene in Vancouver where a university's anthropological museum supports Indigenous artists.
It also delves into the field of "Visual Anthropology," where images and sound are utilized to create ethnographic films, tracing the latest developments and cross-disciplinary approaches that are constantly emerging, and showcasing the sites where art and anthropology converge.
Furthermore, it includes columns by anthropologists who study artworks and art scenes as their research subjects, and an essay by Toshiaki Ishikura offering a comprehensive discussion on the relationship between art and anthropology.
The collaboration between art and anthropology is an endeavor that tackles profound questions about humanity, the world, and expression. Simultaneously, it grapples with the universal concerns of the meaning of personal experience and how we perceive and articulate others.
By presenting the intersections of academic research and art, the issue offers perspectives that can resonate with everyone's daily life.
Additionally, the special supplement is a ZINE by painter Tomoo Gokita.
This separate booklet comprises collages based on the scrapbooks that inspire Gokita's work, alongside documentary snapshots by photographer Masayuki Shioda, a close friend of Gokita's, capturing the production process of his current "PEEKABOO" exhibition.
It's a unique publication that can also be enjoyed as an art book.
Bijutsu Techo June Issue - On Sale May 7 (Monday)
Price: ¥1,600 (excluding tax)
Publisher: Bijutsu Shuppan
Amazonhttps://amzn.to/2Kk1ZeP
Bijutsu Techo Official Website
http://www.bijutsu.press/books/2018/04/bt-1806.html