A very interesting exhibition just finished at The Setagaya Art Museum in Kinuta Park, Tokyo. `Drifting Objects of Dreams:The Collection of Shuzo Takiguchi' brought together the strange and highly personal collection of art works, books and objects of the late writer, critic and artist Shuzo Takiguchi, closely affiliated with many of the major art movements of the C20th, in particular Surrealism. I managed to take several covert photographs of the installation before guards seemed to sense what I was up to. What I always find interesting about such documentary/ object/ archive based exhibitions is the ways in which situations of intense personal display (as seen in the displayed documentary photographs of the objects in their `home') become disciplined within the exhibitionary complex`s of the gallery space. Hence, clusters of small objects (and the shadows they create off each other), and the small stories which emanate from the tensions between the works and their immediate surroundings (the furniture, cases, walls, dust...) are eradicated in favour of a display methodology of isolation and the spotlight. This was certainly in evidence at Setagaya.
However, many of the individual objects and works also managed to retain a sense of `otherness' in their gallery imprisoned state. A highlight for me was a small wrapped parcel work by Genpei Akasegawa, a founding member of Hi-Red Center, and currently a travel writer and authority on Leica cameras. In the late 1950s Akasegawa wrapped different objects in standard brown paper and string, effectively sealing them from sight and generating different kinds of desire. The parcel in the photograph above right is one of his works, behind glass and carefully lined next to other objects. It looked somehow OK - resolute and still unwilling to reveal itself, even though it`s display condition betrayed its shyness. It became futile to lean down to peer at it as it seemed to tell you to do something other than simply look.
`Drifting Objects' was at The Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Feb 5 - April 10 2005.
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