Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art presents "Language and Art: Takashi Hiraide and the Artists" from October, 6th. Takashi Hiraide (b. 1950, poet, Tama Art University professor) is known for his numerous poetry collections posing fundamental questions about our world and for his international best-selling novel The Guest Cat. Besides his writing, Hiraide has explored the possibilities of books as a media in recent years, leading to activities of publishing minimal forms of books and initiating a project of postcards designed and printed by himself using photographs related to his writings. These can be seen as practices that have sprung from his deep exchanges with internationally renowned artists.

In this exhibition, Takashi Hiraide applies his unique perspective to the various forms of artistic dialogue that emerge from the astute interconnections of “language” and “art” with the intent of identifying and shining new light on the words and published materials that relate to the works of a select group of artists, including those of the collection of the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art. As for the design of the display galleries aimed at conveying the unique concept of “books in space” that occurs when words depart from their usual form and take on creative visual aspects, it is the work of the architect Jun Aoki.

Artists include: Joseph Cornell, Donald Evans, Mitsuo Kano, On Kawara, Natsuyuki Nakanishi, Ikko Narahara, Kazuo Okazaki, Shuzo Takiguchi, Isamu Wakabayashi and others.

It is often said that artists create works without the use of language, but doesn’t this seem to be somewhat of an overstatement? In fact, isn’t it true that the great artists are able to extract from within the materials and concepts they use new language with fine nuances of meaning that the human race has never known before? What’s more, aren’t they each newly creating language that is singular in its value? We want to be able to hear such new language, because surely it has the power to lead us to new thoughts and richer, more rewarding appreciation of art.

Takashi Hiraide

Dates: October 6, 2018 – January 14, 2019
Place: Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art