Welcome to the Guggenheim Museum; an architectural masterpiece in it self perfectly placed on Museum Row in the Upper East side of Manhattan. Through its existence, this venue has hosted an array of theatrical events and exquisite exhibitions including the current production titled the Gutai Splendid Playground; an exciting event highlighting the avant-garde collaboration of Japanese artists depicting their personal reactions and perspective of life during the 1950’s-1960’s.
Gutai stands for “concreteness” and it is only fair to respect the beautiful audacity inspired by intelligent usage of common every day items such as light-bulbs, bells, fabrics and much more. The artists showcase the determination to break down the monotonous barriers of boredom and bring life to art. The exhibit is organized within six chronological categories and sections including Play, Network, Concept, the Concrete, Performance Painting and Environmental Art.
Once you walk into the Guggenheim’s rotunda, gaze up as Motonaga Sadamasa’s work titled Water premiers while adding spice to the museum and jump-starting the Gutai vision. As you make your way into the beginning of Play, feel free to literally “think outside” and perhaps “inside” the first piece of art – a red box placed in the middle of the floor. This is a great example of the motivation behind the artist’s creative gesture defining the sense of innocence while poking at your inner child energy to come out and play.
The remainder of the exhibit celebrates the genius creative outlet of artists such as Tanaka Atsuko’sWork (Bell) and Electric Dance; Shiraga Kazuo’s Untitled created and painted by his bare feet, and the Bisexual Flower created by Yoshida Minoru. Murakami Saburo excites us with his amazing work titled Passage celebrating self expression as he flings himself through a series of taut paper screens.
The exhibit is in production from February 15th – May 8th 2013. During your visit, take your time as rushing through it would depreciate the value of the event. Finally, arrive at the Museum with an open mind and embrace how art transforms into a magnificent playground indeed.
By: Laura M. Artis