Japanese Experience: Inevitable, The (In the Floating World: Slash with a Knife, 1999) [Hardcover]

Gregor Jansen (Author), Takashi Murakami (Author), Margrit Brehm (Editor), Jun Hasegawa (Author), Hiropon (Author), Shintaro Miyake (Author), Aya Takano (Author), Yoshitomo Nara (Author), Axel Heil (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: In the Floating World: Slash with a Knife, 1999 | Publication Date: March 2, 2003

At first sight, it appears brand new, pure Tokyo pop. But The Japanese Experience: Inevitable reveals far more than the successful cloning of morphed manga motifs onto stretched canvas and museum walls. It represents eight positions in contemporary Japanese art and scrutinizes their complex visual vocabulary, noting references to Japanese and Western art traditions as frequently as the borrowing of mass culture motifs from the realms of manga and anime. Takashi Murakami's MR. DOB questions the place of contemporary art in our global society; Aya Takano's glowing watercolors combine Japanese sensitivity, issues of female identity, and sci-fi; Masahiko Kuwahara's mutant animals provide shades of softness and mysterious openness, and Yoshitomo Nara's reworking of historical Japanese woodcuts disturbs the floating world. Not only are the artists' visual repertoires new and surprising, but their creative methods and strategies help conquer a public that is mostly untouched by contemporary art. Published in association with the Ursula Blickle Foundation.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in 1959 in Hirosaki, Japan, Yoshitomo Nara is one of the most influential artists to emerge from Japan during the Pop art movement of the 1990s. Since his initial U.S. solo exhibition at Blum & Poe Gallery, he has had one-man shows at the Institut fur Moderne Kunst Nurnberg, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the Yokohama Museum of Art. His work was included in "Super Flat" at the MOCA Gallery at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, and at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in New York. He continues to live and work in Japan.

"Takashi Murakami is a Japanese-born artist and author who now lives in New York and Tokyo. His work has been shown in museums throughout the world, including P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Walker Art Center; and many others."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Hatje Cantz Publishers (March 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3775712542
• ISBN-13: 978-3775712545
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,029,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars well worth it., February 15, 2005

By 

Milton G. Compton III "rocketship." (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Japanese Experience: Inevitable, The (In the Floating World: Slash with a Knife, 1999) (Hardcover)

i bought this book pretty much sight unseen (it was wrapped in plastic), and for a not so thrifty price. that said, i do not regret that decision at all. this is a great informative book, and i think it handles the distinction between "high art" and "pop culture" quite well. i wish more american artists would follow this lead, basing great works of beauty on comics and tv. highly recommended.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surely one must pay attention..., April 29, 2005

By 

Andrew C. Raymond (Greensboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Japanese Experience: Inevitable, The (In the Floating World: Slash with a Knife, 1999) (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic catalogue of an important exhibition held in Kraichtal, Germany in 2002. The curator was Margrit Brehm. So, do not be mislead: this is not a Murakami-curated exhibition, unlike the current Japan Society show entitled "Little Boy." (This book does contain works by Murakami and others of the Kaikai Kiki alongside other important contemporary figures).
Also important to note is that as this is a catalogue of an important art event, it contains several essays on topics relevant to the Japanese Neo Pop movement. It is not necessary that one fully comprehend these essays in order to enjoy the artwork reproduced here. However, these essays are very valuable for anyone interested in placing these works in a historical context.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Japanese Arts Favourite, June 13, 2006

By 

Ray "Ray" (Rio de Janeiro, BRA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese Experience: Inevitable, The (In the Floating World: Slash with a Knife, 1999) (Hardcover)

Not only the selection of artists and artist's work is good but the stories they tell about each of them is between the finest you can find. The writer makes it easy to understand the artist's mind in very few words. I'm sorry I didn't go to the exibition that generated this catalog.