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. It also includes 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. 

Edited by independent curator Mika Yoshitake, with contributions by Yoshitake, music scholar David Novak, music producer Peter Kolovos, and with twenty testimonials from the artists, some translated here in English for the first time.

This catalogue was published alongside the two-part exhibition Parergon: Japanese Art of the 1980s and 1990s curated by Mika Yoshitake, on view at Blum & Poe, Los Angeles February-May 2019.

Physical description:
Softcover, 256 pages
Los Angeles: Blum & Poe; Milan: Skira Editore, 2020
9.5 x 12 inches
Weight: 2 lbs