As Japanese avant-garde artists challenged established practices and institutions of art, they also embraced alternative forms of expression including performance. Beginning with the action-performances of the Gutai Art Association in the 1950s, Japanese artists emerged as leaders in body-based and conceptual performances. These ranged from Gutai Art Association works rooted in painting, to the anti-establishment performances of Anti-Art, to the conceptual performances of Yoko Ono.

            For performance art to survive beyond the event itself, it must be documented. The 1950s and 1960s were turning points in this regard, as artists became increasingly aware of the importance of self-documentation. Resounding Spirit presents rare video and photographic footage that captures the spirit of Japanese performance art. Focusing on the actions of the Gutai Art Association and the Neo-Dada Organizer Ushio Shinohara, these documents present an argument for the re-evaluation of the status of documentation: they are more than simply secondary materials, they are works of art in their own right.

Signal Works: Photographs of Shinohara’s boxing paintings.