Gutai Group at the Venice Biennale

by Johnny on June 12, 2009

A nice shot of a work by the Gutai Group at the Venice Biennale, courtesy of the New York Times. Gutai was a post-war art movement that originated in the 1950s. In that sense they share a lot of characteristics with the Butoh dance movement. The prevalent theme encompassing Gutai is the beauty of decay, as well as the process of destruction.

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The sandbox is such as artifact of the past. Growing up in Tokyo I remember spending many hours with my Dad playing in the sand. I remember the gravity of the sand, the warmth – and subsequent chill – of the sand as well as the devastating effects a bucket of water can have on a exquisitely built sand castle.