On October 18, 1962, a group of artists, including Jiro Takamatsu and Natsuyuki Nakanishi, engaged in a performance art event known as the Yamanote Line Incident. This event took place on the Yamanote Loop Line train in Tokyo. It was characterized by the participants' unconventional and disruptive interventions.[1][2]

Details of the event

During the performance, Nakanishi interacted with a resin-wrapped assortment of everyday items while his face was painted white. Other artists contributed by smearing white paint on the train and bringing additional peculiar objects, such as real eggs and a chicken foot.[3]

Context and impact

The event was set against Japan's rapidly changing art scene in the 1960s, moving from traditional representations to performance and environmental art. "The Yamanote Line Incident" contributed to the formation of the Hi-Red Center, an art collective co-founded by Takamatsu. This collective focused on merging art with everyday life and highlighting societal contradictions. This period witnessed a significant shift in Japanese contemporary art, with artists exploring new forms of expression outside traditional spaces, utilizing urban environments for avant-garde artistic endeavors.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Chong, Do-Ryun (2012). Tokyo, 1955-1970: a new avant-garde. Museum of modern art. New York, NY: Museum of modern art. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-87070-834-3.
  2. ↑ Adriasola Muñoz, Ignacio A. (2022). Fragment, Image, and Absence in 1960s Japan. Penn State University Press. p. 27. ISBN 9780271093154.
  3. ↑ Kuroda, Raiji (2023). Anarchy of the body: undercurrents of performance art in 1960s Japan. Leuven: Leuven University Press. p. 571. ISBN 978-94-6270-353-7.
  4. ↑ Thomas, Graham (2023). A Tokyo Odyssey: A history of Tokyo from its beginnings until now. From Edo To Reiwa. SAGUS. p. 412. ISBN 9781911489344.
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