On Kawara: 10 Tableaux and 16,952 Pages
Texts by Ervin Laszlo, Takafumi Matsui, and Charles Wylie
Since the mid-1960s, On Kawara (b. 1933) has objectively recorded his existence through everyday numbers, words, and found images. This handsomely designed and illustrated book presents works selected by the artist from throughout his illustrious career, including paintings made at the time of the 1969 moon landings, other large-scale paintings, a 100 Years Calendar, and a vast array of his own books that chronicle his extensive travels, acquaintances, and personal readings.
The book features a translation of an essay on the Apollo space mission and its impact on human consciousness by Takafumi Matsui; a chapter from Ervin Laszlo’s The Whispering Pond, which presents theories of understanding possible connections between mind and matter; and a new essay by Charles Wylie that discusses the specifics of Kawara’s corresponding installation at the Dallas Museum of Art and Kawara’s contribution to and divergence from the main currents of art practice in the past five decades.
Publisher: Yale University Press / Dallas Museum of Art
Artists: On Kawara
Contributors: Ervin Laszlo, Takafumi Matsui, Charles Wylie
Publication Date: 2008
Binding: Hardcover
Dimensions: 8 1/2 x 11 in (21.6 x 27.9 cm)
Pages: 192
Reproductions: 151 color
ISBN: 9780300137347
Retail: $50 US & Canada | £30 | €38
Status: Not Available
On Kawara
For over five decades, On Kawara created paintings, drawings, books, and recordings that examined chronological time and its function as a measure of human existence. His artistic practice was characterized by its meditative approach to concepts of time, space, and consciousness. He began making his now signature date paintings (known as the Today series) on January 4, 1966 in New York City and continued to produce them in different parts of the world up until his death.