Artist of the Day Series: Manya KATO Exhibition Catalog>

Do not be fooled by Manya KATO

Gallery Review / Manya KATO Exhibition (Osaka Contemporary Art Center)

If you were to ask me, “Do you remember the first contemporary art exhibition you ever attended? I honestly cannot recall the first contemporary art exhibition I ever saw. However, if I had encountered the works of Manya KATO at the first contemporary art exhibition I ever attended, I might have been able to open the door to the difficult world of contemporary art a little more smoothly. This is not in the sense of imprinting, in which a newborn baby bird recognizes the first thing it sees as the parent bird, but in the sense that I felt that Kato's works could serve as an introduction to contemporary art for those who have no prerequisite knowledge of the subject.

Whether KATO's witty expressions are considered mere random thoughts or keen sensitivities is up to the viewer to decide, but they genuinely broaden the viewer's thinking to “I see, there is another way of thinking about this. There is a work with a trumpet or other wind instrument attached to the end of a medicine can, and a work with a ring of wisdom that is so intricately twisted that it can never be removed. KATO's works, through his point of view, create a slight discrepancy between our common sense and assumptions in our daily lives, a tricky act that makes us unconsciously reflect on the universalized values we hold. However, he is not seeking an intellectual interpretation of these works. He is simply presenting his own angle, and we are frankly given a pleasant shake of the monosaki by him.

His allegorical works are the result of his innate sensibility, which he has reduced to the ultimate form through empirically obtained facts. The partial use of ready-to-wear pieces also helps, and they all appear to us as beautifully finished works. I did not feel from KATO's works a “review” of the readymades used by Duchamp. It was only through KATO's works that I came face to face with contemporary art, felt my own monism shaken, and met Manya KATO. I think it was a happy encounter.

Makoto Furukawa (Art Critic)

April 2002