AUCTION - 2024.02.09
[Highlight] KOJIMA Nobuaki | Untitled | MARCH 2024 Tokyo Contemporary: Redefined
Highlight from the "63rd SBI Art Auction｜Tokyo Contemporary: Redefined" sales on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
Born in Ōno City, Fukui Prefecture, Nobuaki Kojima began exhibiting works that incorporated elements of "Happening" in 1958, predominantly at the Yomiuri Indépendant Exhibition. He engaged with "Anti-art" artists, including Ushio Shinohara. Kojima garnered particular attention for his FRP resin standing sculptures, influenced by "Pop Art." He later moved to the US to advance his artistic career. Having returned to Japan, he continues to be an active figure in the art scene.
This work, Untitled features a standing figure styled as a businessman, shrouded in a red-and-white striped fabric with his face obscured. Crafted from FRP resin, the statue has a rough texture and is coated lacquer. The vivid red, white, and blue hues are striking, yet the concealed face of the man creates a sense of frustration for the observer, as it obscures any insight into his emotions or thoughts. This haunting life-sized sculpture conveys an ineffable sense of loss, serving as a direct commentary on the dehumanization in Japanese society during the Japanese economic miracle. The fabric covering the face bears the Stars and Stripes, symbolizing the States, adding a layer of international political context to the work. Kojima also showcased a red and white curtain at the 14th Yomiuri Indépendant Exhibition in 1962, where he performed a "happening" by standing inside a drum in front of the curtain throughout the day. However, by 1964, the Yomiuri Indépendant, which had been a significant platform for Kojima's work, was discontinued, primarily due to escalating conflicts with the "Anti-art" movement. In the wake of tumultuous artistic upheavals, Kojima's standing sculptures emerge as silent witnesses to the fading echoes of the "Anti-art" era. They are poignant symbols, subtly mirroring Japanese society's stark, unspoken narratives while draping in American pop culture's vibrant yet ironic hues.
* See ASPECTS OF FUKUI CONTEMPORARY ART. Vol. 1: July 20~Augst 12, 1990 Nobuaki Kojima Catalog, ed. Hisanori Gogota, Fukui Fine Arts Museum, 1990, 4-7.
Lot.075 KOJIMA Nobuaki
Untitled
Lacquer on FRP
171.5 × 80.0 × 45.0 cm (67½ × 31½ × 17¾ in.)
Provenance: Private Collection, USA
Exhibited: October 30 - December 14, 2019 "Japan Is America: 1952-1985", Fergus McCaffrey, New York
JPY 5,000,000 - 8,000,000
USD 35,200 - 56,300
Browse details & Place Bids
【Create an account】
Please sign up from the link below if you do not have an account to register as a bidder.
>> Create an account
【Participate in the bidding】
There are four bidding methods from which to choose.
A. In Parson
B. Absentee
C. By Telephone
D. To Bid Live
>> How to Buy
To bid by phone, online, or as absentee, you can register from our website.
*An account will be needed for bidding registration (If you are a registered customer and do not have a login account, or if you cannot log in with your account, please follow the procedure)
*Please make sure to check the condition of works before bidding.
>> Register for bidding
>> Create an account
Bid Submission Deadline:
[Lots. 001-083] FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024, at 5:00 PM (JST)
*For those who have not received an email from us
It's possible that SBI Art Auction's confirmation e-mail has been labeled as a spam mail. You might be able to find confirmation e-mail from us in your spam mail folder.
As a friendly reminder, you may consider adjusting the filtering setting of your e-mail account to prevent any mails with sbigroup.co.jp／sbiartauction.co.jp domain from going to your spam mail folder in the future.
Born in Ōno City, Fukui Prefecture, Nobuaki Kojima began exhibiting works that incorporated elements of "Happening" in 1958, predominantly at the Yomiuri Indépendant Exhibition. He engaged with "Anti-art" artists, including Ushio Shinohara. Kojima garnered particular attention for his FRP resin standing sculptures, influenced by "Pop Art." He later moved to the US to advance his artistic career. Having returned to Japan, he continues to be an active figure in the art scene.
This work, Untitled features a standing figure styled as a businessman, shrouded in a red-and-white striped fabric with his face obscured. Crafted from FRP resin, the statue has a rough texture and is coated lacquer. The vivid red, white, and blue hues are striking, yet the concealed face of the man creates a sense of frustration for the observer, as it obscures any insight into his emotions or thoughts. This haunting life-sized sculpture conveys an ineffable sense of loss, serving as a direct commentary on the dehumanization in Japanese society during the Japanese economic miracle. The fabric covering the face bears the Stars and Stripes, symbolizing the States, adding a layer of international political context to the work. Kojima also showcased a red and white curtain at the 14th Yomiuri Indépendant Exhibition in 1962, where he performed a "happening" by standing inside a drum in front of the curtain throughout the day. However, by 1964, the Yomiuri Indépendant, which had been a significant platform for Kojima's work, was discontinued, primarily due to escalating conflicts with the "Anti-art" movement. In the wake of tumultuous artistic upheavals, Kojima's standing sculptures emerge as silent witnesses to the fading echoes of the "Anti-art" era. They are poignant symbols, subtly mirroring Japanese society's stark, unspoken narratives while draping in American pop culture's vibrant yet ironic hues.
* See ASPECTS OF FUKUI CONTEMPORARY ART. Vol. 1: July 20~Augst 12, 1990 Nobuaki Kojima Catalog, ed. Hisanori Gogota, Fukui Fine Arts Museum, 1990, 4-7.
Lot.075 KOJIMA Nobuaki
Untitled
Lacquer on FRP
171.5 × 80.0 × 45.0 cm (67½ × 31½ × 17¾ in.)
Provenance: Private Collection, USA
Exhibited: October 30 - December 14, 2019 "Japan Is America: 1952-1985", Fergus McCaffrey, New York
JPY 5,000,000 - 8,000,000
USD 35,200 - 56,300
Browse details & Place Bids
【Create an account】
Please sign up from the link below if you do not have an account to register as a bidder.
>> Create an account
【Participate in the bidding】
There are four bidding methods from which to choose.
A. In Parson
B. Absentee
C. By Telephone
D. To Bid Live
>> How to Buy
To bid by phone, online, or as absentee, you can register from our website.
*An account will be needed for bidding registration (If you are a registered customer and do not have a login account, or if you cannot log in with your account, please follow the procedure)
*Please make sure to check the condition of works before bidding.
>> Register for bidding
>> Create an account
Bid Submission Deadline:
[Lots. 001-083] FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024, at 5:00 PM (JST)
*For those who have not received an email from us
It's possible that SBI Art Auction's confirmation e-mail has been labeled as a spam mail. You might be able to find confirmation e-mail from us in your spam mail folder.
As a friendly reminder, you may consider adjusting the filtering setting of your e-mail account to prevent any mails with sbigroup.co.jp／sbiartauction.co.jp domain from going to your spam mail folder in the future.
