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Work (Hoops)

TANAKA Atsuko

1963

Even among the highly original artists of the "GUTAI" group, whose motto was "Don't copy," Atsuko Tanaka has been especially notable for her ability to surprise us again and again. In 1955, she created a new concept in art with her "Bells," which presents twenty electric bells arranged in a line and encompasses not only the realm of sound but also the time axis. The following year, she went even further with her "Electric Dress" which was covered with innumerable bright light bulbs merrily flashing on and off, which was in a way a forerunner in performance or kinetic art. Since around 1957, her interest shifted mainly to painting, paralleling the move of GUTAI as it became focused on tableaux following the visit of Michel Tapie to Japan. This work is a picture that can be regarded as a plan for "Electric Dress." The bright large and small circles and curving lines that wind around them in complex patterns correspond to the light bulbs and wiring. The flat and homogeneous matiere and the sophisticated sense of color as we see them in this work makes Tanaka a maverick among the GUTAI artists who generally resorted to vigorous physical movements and focus on the material's texture.