Atsuko Tanaka

Atsuko Tanaka belongs among the most important artists of the Japanese avant-garde. She was a member of the Gutai group (gutai = concrete), a movement in Japanese art which radically anticipated the most important concepts in Western art as early as the fifties, before the historical backdrop of World War II. Gutai in general, and Tanaka in particular, sought to extend and redefine the relationship between body, artistic material and (exhibition) space with performance-like acts. In her Electric Dress (1956), which she herself wore in performances, Tanaka used everyday objects like textiles or colored, blinking lamps to fashion a combination of the traditional kimono and industrial technology. This book features Tanaka´s works from her gutai period as well as some documents of the activities of the group. A text by Mizuho Kato, translated into three languages, presents an in- depth exploration of Tanaka´s artistic concepts. The artist: Atsuko Tanaka, born 1932, will celebrate her seventieth birthday in 2002. Tho mark this occasion, the Galerie im Taxipalais gallery in Innsbruck is hosting Atsuko Tanaka's first solo exhibition in a public institution in Europe. Exhibition Schedule: Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck September 7 - November 3, 2002