This is the catalog for the exhibition titled “Usami Keiji: A Painter Resurrected” held from April 13 to August 29, 2021 at the University of Tokyo Komaba Museum.
 
The idea for the exhibition was sparked by an incident that occurred in 2017 wherein a painting by Usami Keiji (1940-2012) titled Kizuna [Bonds], which had adorned the wall of the Hongo Campus’ Central Cafeteria, was disposed of during renovation of the cafeteria. The university decided to host the exhibition based on the belief that it was important for people to see Usami’s works in person to truly understand the significance of the loss of his work and considering the substantial decline in Usami’s visibility as an artist not only at the Univesity of Tokyo but in present-day Japan as a backdrop of the disposal incident. The curators put together an exhibition that, despite its small scale, provided a retrospective of Usami’s works by assembling representative paintings from different periods as well as the artist’s rare sculpture. The exhibition also featured a digital reproduction of Kizuna as well as a refabrication of an installation using laser beams titled Laser: Beam: Joint (1968). In addition, a refabrication of the work by Marcel Duchamp titled The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (1980) belonging to the Komaba Museum collection was displayed next to Usami’s works, spotlighting the question of reproducibility in modern and contemporary art.
 
The book was designed not only to serve as an exhibition catalog but also to be useful in future research. The explanatory texts are filled with testimonials and information that provide much insight into Usami’s activities as an artist. TAKASHINA Shuji (emeritus professor, the University of Tokyo) explains how Kizuna came to be displayed in the Central Cafeteria as someone who was involved in the process and delves into the work’s significance as a mural. The artist OKAZAKI Kenjiro recalls his first encounter with Usami, analyzes Usami’s “Ghost Plan” series as well as his interest in the Watts Riot of 1965, and relates these to the art and ideology of the time. The book’s editor, Prof. KAJIYA Kenji, examines Usami’s long career from the standpoint of art history. The salutations by the university president and the director of the Komaba Museum also provide useful insights. The then president of the university, GONOKAMI Makoto, relates his personal experiences with Usami, including reading works by Usami when he was still an assistant faculty. The museum’s director, MIURA Atsushi, writing as a scholar of Western art history, places Usami in the context of art history while exploring the significance of reproductions in art history.
 
Along with photos of the works displayed in the exhibition, the book also includes images of Usami’s representative works as well as writings by Usami, who was also known as a prolific art critic, presented in a manner that provides the reader with an overview of Usami’s activities. The detailed bibliography created from careful investigation of books and materials owned by Usami and the book’s up-to-date resume and list of exhibitions also increase the book’s scholarly value. The book is set to become the “go-to reference” for anyone interested in learning more about Usami.
 

(Written by KAJIYA Kenji, Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences / 2021)

Related Info

Exhibition:
Exhibition review by Azby Brown: Keiji Usami's Visions of Liberation  (FRIEZE  August 17, 2021)
https://www.frieze.com/article-keiji-usami-painter-resurrected-2021-review
 
Usami Keiji's "Laser: Beam: Joint" (1968)  (UTokyo College of Arts and Science: YouTube  April 23, 2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSqQZTW92UE

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