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HOME > Past World Cultural Forum 2009 (7th) > EXPERTS' MEETING III : Cultural Diversity & Modern Arts - Art in the Age of Globalization
Past World Cultural Forum
2009 (7th)
2009 (7th)
EXPERTS' MEETING III
Cultural Diversity & Modern Arts - Art in the Age of Globalization Developments in the means of disseminating information, increased opportunities for exchange between artists, the flourishing international exhibition scene – these are among the indications we have that modern art is increasingly spreading beyond national borders. At the same time it is indisputable that many art forms strongly acknowledge local cultural characteristics. This session will consider the state and role of art in this time of multicultural coexistence by examining historical facts and analysing current conditions.
Experts Meeting III : Cultural Diversity & Modern Arts - Art in the Age of Globalization
Sunday, November 29, 2009 (13:30 - 17:00)
The National Museum of Art, Osaka
The Experts' Meeting to examine the current conditions, the future and the role of fine art in this multicultural era was held at The National Museum of Arts, Osaka.
The chairperson, TAKASHINA Shuji, Director of Ohara Museum of Art, outlined the purpose of the meeting, pointing out that while modern art now extends beyond national borders thanks to the wide dissemination of television and the Internet, at the same time, it is, conditioned by regional climate and history, political and social conditions, as well as personal experiences. Taking those conditions into account, the aim of the meeting was to look at the directions artists' activities are taking and what issues artists have to overcome.
The meeting then proceeded with the panelists' presentations. The first scheduled speaker, Françoise LEVAILLANT, Director of Researches at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France, was not able to attend the meeting, and her paper was delivered by Professor Takashina. In her paper, Levaillant referred to the international activities of Gutai Bijutsu Kyokai (Gutai Art Association), an art group established in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, after World War II that continues to receive international recognition. Dr.Levaillant's paper also referred to the journal “Gutai,” the driving force of the group's stratagems, and commented on the performances of individual members of the group.
The next speaker, KIM Young-Soon, art critic and President of the Advisory Committee of the Arko Art Center, The Arts Council Korea pointed that Korea's civil government adopted a national policy of supporting the fine arts as a means to differentiate itself from the military government. She introduced examples of the outcome of such measures including the Gwangju Biennale and Busan Biennale. She also introduced the case of a facility that was used as a university hospital during the colonial self-government period, then for military purposes during the cold-war period, and was finally released in 2009 as an art exhibition space.
The presentations continued with Pier Luigi TAZZI, art critic and independent curator explaining how western art, in the course of its journey from its beginnings in the 13th century through a number of periods to the time of avant-garde art, moved away from objects and towards the world of imagination and, yet, after the 1950s, began to return to concrete space and physical forms.
The final speaker, TATEHATA Akira, director of The National Museum of Arts, Osaka, the venue in which the meeting was being held, addressed the topic of multiculturalism, which has been a distinctively characteristic feature of international modern art exhibitions since 1990. He illustrated this notion by referring to “the exhibition Magiciens de la Terre” held in Paris in 1989, which was the forerunner of the approach. While commending the outcomes of the movement, he remarked that it is necessary to take a steady stance to maintain fairness in respect of cultural studies, which may be more of a political choice than necessarily an assertion of absolute righteousness. He concluded that organizing international exhibitions requires careful consideration of multiculturalism, while maintaining a certain detachment from it.
The second half of the meeting was dedicated to a panel discussion in which the participants engaged in lively debate on the themes presented by Professor Takashina: identity in an era of globalization; Western and non-western worlds; and whether art exists independent of context.
Ms. Kim described how Korea went through a period when international art events, though initiated with the intention of establishing a distinctive cultural identity, became nothing more than a duplication of what had been created in the West, and then reported that the possibility of that initial goal now being accomplished can be seen in some of the current exhibitions presented by networks formed by individual persons and business corporations. She then noted that, because the government's generous support of fine art had led artists to become reliant on the government, there has been a shift from giving direct support to providing support to exhibition organizers. She also commented on the now thriving market for modern art in Korea.
Speaking on the Western model in fine art, Mr.Tazzi pointed out that two new trends have been recognized since the end of the 1980s: more attention to “female sensitivities in art” and “greater penetration of the art of minorities.” Noting Dr. Tatehata's reference to the exhibition “Magiciens de la Terre,” he commented that it was an important European exhibition from the viewpoint of post-colonialism and commended the exhibition for how artists from every corner of the non-western world brought local context into what had been until then a global art system. He also noted that, as a curator, he places importance on creating an exhibition that has relevance to the very “place” where the exhibition is being held.
Dr. Tatehata remarked on how globalization, which has enabled the free movement of people, goods and information, may serve the function of providing artists with the opportunity to examine their own identity: relinquishing or losing their identity by remaining in the one place, or reconfirming their identity by going abroad. He also noted that cultural diversity does not mean diversity by segregation into niches but rather that Osaka, for example, has cultural diversity within itself and that individual persons have layers of culture amassed within themselves. Those layers, he said, cannot be peeled off one by one, and this multilayered structure of culture should be regarded as important.
The final segment of the panel discussion was a “Question and Answer” session during which panelists answered questions from the floor. In response to the question, “What is the difference between design and art?,” Mr. Tazzi presented his notion that art is “question” and design is “answer.” To a question regarding whether the art world had any requests to make of industry, Mr. Kim, referring to the case of the Korean conglomerate Samsung which utilizes its strong financial resources to collect artworks and employ curators of a quality higher than those at national museums and art galleries, suggested that the Japanese IT industry should form partnerships with art galleries to contribute to the development of Japanese culture through activities such as the creation of archives. Dr. Tatehata mentioned a project currently in progress in cooperation with Osaka University, in which local communities, not business corporations, are supporting artistic endeavors.
In conclusion, Professor Takashina expressed his gratitude to the panelists and to all those who had contributed to the organization of the meeting and its success.
The National Museum of Art, Osaka
The Experts' Meeting to examine the current conditions, the future and the role of fine art in this multicultural era was held at The National Museum of Arts, Osaka.
The chairperson, TAKASHINA Shuji, Director of Ohara Museum of Art, outlined the purpose of the meeting, pointing out that while modern art now extends beyond national borders thanks to the wide dissemination of television and the Internet, at the same time, it is, conditioned by regional climate and history, political and social conditions, as well as personal experiences. Taking those conditions into account, the aim of the meeting was to look at the directions artists' activities are taking and what issues artists have to overcome.
The meeting then proceeded with the panelists' presentations. The first scheduled speaker, Françoise LEVAILLANT, Director of Researches at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France, was not able to attend the meeting, and her paper was delivered by Professor Takashina. In her paper, Levaillant referred to the international activities of Gutai Bijutsu Kyokai (Gutai Art Association), an art group established in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, after World War II that continues to receive international recognition. Dr.Levaillant's paper also referred to the journal “Gutai,” the driving force of the group's stratagems, and commented on the performances of individual members of the group.
The next speaker, KIM Young-Soon, art critic and President of the Advisory Committee of the Arko Art Center, The Arts Council Korea pointed that Korea's civil government adopted a national policy of supporting the fine arts as a means to differentiate itself from the military government. She introduced examples of the outcome of such measures including the Gwangju Biennale and Busan Biennale. She also introduced the case of a facility that was used as a university hospital during the colonial self-government period, then for military purposes during the cold-war period, and was finally released in 2009 as an art exhibition space.
The presentations continued with Pier Luigi TAZZI, art critic and independent curator explaining how western art, in the course of its journey from its beginnings in the 13th century through a number of periods to the time of avant-garde art, moved away from objects and towards the world of imagination and, yet, after the 1950s, began to return to concrete space and physical forms.
The final speaker, TATEHATA Akira, director of The National Museum of Arts, Osaka, the venue in which the meeting was being held, addressed the topic of multiculturalism, which has been a distinctively characteristic feature of international modern art exhibitions since 1990. He illustrated this notion by referring to “the exhibition Magiciens de la Terre” held in Paris in 1989, which was the forerunner of the approach. While commending the outcomes of the movement, he remarked that it is necessary to take a steady stance to maintain fairness in respect of cultural studies, which may be more of a political choice than necessarily an assertion of absolute righteousness. He concluded that organizing international exhibitions requires careful consideration of multiculturalism, while maintaining a certain detachment from it.
The second half of the meeting was dedicated to a panel discussion in which the participants engaged in lively debate on the themes presented by Professor Takashina: identity in an era of globalization; Western and non-western worlds; and whether art exists independent of context.
Ms. Kim described how Korea went through a period when international art events, though initiated with the intention of establishing a distinctive cultural identity, became nothing more than a duplication of what had been created in the West, and then reported that the possibility of that initial goal now being accomplished can be seen in some of the current exhibitions presented by networks formed by individual persons and business corporations. She then noted that, because the government's generous support of fine art had led artists to become reliant on the government, there has been a shift from giving direct support to providing support to exhibition organizers. She also commented on the now thriving market for modern art in Korea.
Speaking on the Western model in fine art, Mr.Tazzi pointed out that two new trends have been recognized since the end of the 1980s: more attention to “female sensitivities in art” and “greater penetration of the art of minorities.” Noting Dr. Tatehata's reference to the exhibition “Magiciens de la Terre,” he commented that it was an important European exhibition from the viewpoint of post-colonialism and commended the exhibition for how artists from every corner of the non-western world brought local context into what had been until then a global art system. He also noted that, as a curator, he places importance on creating an exhibition that has relevance to the very “place” where the exhibition is being held.
Dr. Tatehata remarked on how globalization, which has enabled the free movement of people, goods and information, may serve the function of providing artists with the opportunity to examine their own identity: relinquishing or losing their identity by remaining in the one place, or reconfirming their identity by going abroad. He also noted that cultural diversity does not mean diversity by segregation into niches but rather that Osaka, for example, has cultural diversity within itself and that individual persons have layers of culture amassed within themselves. Those layers, he said, cannot be peeled off one by one, and this multilayered structure of culture should be regarded as important.
The final segment of the panel discussion was a “Question and Answer” session during which panelists answered questions from the floor. In response to the question, “What is the difference between design and art?,” Mr. Tazzi presented his notion that art is “question” and design is “answer.” To a question regarding whether the art world had any requests to make of industry, Mr. Kim, referring to the case of the Korean conglomerate Samsung which utilizes its strong financial resources to collect artworks and employ curators of a quality higher than those at national museums and art galleries, suggested that the Japanese IT industry should form partnerships with art galleries to contribute to the development of Japanese culture through activities such as the creation of archives. Dr. Tatehata mentioned a project currently in progress in cooperation with Osaka University, in which local communities, not business corporations, are supporting artistic endeavors.
In conclusion, Professor Takashina expressed his gratitude to the panelists and to all those who had contributed to the organization of the meeting and its success.
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| Prof. TAKASHINA Shuji chairing the meeting |
Participants in Experts' Meeting III | |
| [Participants] TAKASHINA Shuji (Japan) Director, Ohara Museum of Art KIM Young-Soon (Republic of Korea) Art Critic / President of Advisory Committee, Arko Art Center, The Arts Council Korea Pier Luigi TAZZI (Italy) Art Critic / Independent Curator TATEHATA Akira (Japan) Director, The National Museum of Arts, Osaka *Positions held at the time of this event |
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