The rapid post-war modernisation of Japan fuelled avant-garde experimentation and the 1960s saw an explosion of performative art practices. Working across a variety of media, artists challenged traditional methods, genres and institutions. Amid a culture of public protest, they brought their work onto the streets in the form of temporary theaters, performances and happenings staging daily life. Subject matter was often socially critical, probing the helter-skelter transformation of Japanese society and the impact of Americanisation. This sometimes involved radical attacks against the institutionalization of art itself.
Photographs taken in the context of performance breached the boundary between photographic documentation and live action, emphasising the performative aspects of the medium. Central to this process was the concept of “experience”, echoing the practices of the members of Provoke: the photographer experiences his surroundings and, through his gaze, translates this “experience” into the photographic medium. The photograph does not convey any concept or meaning other than a mechanical recording of a presence to the world
Provoke, Entre contestation et performance
La photographie au japon 1960-1975
Through December 11, 2016
Le Bal
6 Impasse de la Défense
75018 Paris
France
http://www.le-bal.fr/
