Joan Jonas Exhibition in Tokyo opens

Gallery WAKO WORKS OF ART, Roppongi: Tokyo, is holding the Joan Jonas personal exhibition “Simple Things” until December 26.

Through two videos: Flawless Decoys, 2017 and Beautiful Dog, 2014 and a performance record: Reanimation Performance (Milan), 2014, you can enjoy her works of her lifelong themes: Body, Movement, Narration and Nature.

Beautiful Dog
2014, video (color, sound), 21:40
Courtesy of Electronic Arts Intermix, WAKO WORKS OF ART

Jonas bought a portable video camera when she visited Japan in 1970. She has realized a fusion of performance and new media since early 1970s. In the Beautiful Dog, her pet dog Ozu acts. Through a palm size video camera: GoPro hung at the dog’s neck, the unique world views and interpretations are casted to us. (A name Ozu is derived from her favorite film director Yasujiro Ozu.) In the Kyoto Prize Workshop, Jonas told “I still want to continue experimenting with making my own special effects” in terms of the attitude toward new technology. Now that Jonas has been running over fifty years as a pioneer of contemporary art, she is still trying to install new media enthusiastically, so that you could find out her artist life philosophy to devise her unique representation at the gallery.

Installation view of Flawless Decoys
2017, video (color, sound), 24:06

Installation view of Reanimation Performance (Milan 2014)
2014, video (color, sound), 51:33All images © 2018 Joan Jonas, courtesy of WAKO WORKS OF ART

In 2019, Inamori Foundation will sponsor the Personal Performance and the Exhibition in Kyoto. This is the largest ever in the scale among her Japanese events. Please look forward to enjoying how the legend of contemporary art will explore the future.