The Genesis of Gutai
Shôzô Shimamoto was a Japanese artist and a key founding member of the Gutai group. He was responsible for proposing the name Gutai, which translates to "concrete" or "embodied." His early work was shaped by the economic conditions following the Second World War, which led him to create a new kind of support called "paper-vas" by glueing together layers of newspaper with a flour and water mixture. This method resulted in the "Hole" series, where he perforated the picture plane of the painting. These works often featured a white, monochromatic surface with aggressive pencil gestures or jagged shards of paper.
Shimamoto’s approach to painting was defined by a desire to set paint free from the paintbrush. His signature "Bottle Crash" method involved shattering glass bottles filled with color paint onto an unstretched canvas. He also utilized other unconventional methods, such as:
Performance and Mail Art
Beyond the canvas, Shimamoto engaged in diverse experimental practices, including film, sound art, and stage performances. In 1957, he participated in Gutai Art on Stage, where he smashed glass bulbs and released thousands of ping pong balls from white glass tubes. His interest in the unconventional extended to mail art through his involvement with the group AU. His mail art included irregular shaped cards, such as cardboard cut into the shape of a hiragana “A” character.
In his later years, Shimamoto focused on themes of world peace. In 1999, he produced Heiwa no Akashi (A Proof of Peace) by dropping glass bottles of paint onto a concrete slab while suspended in midair. His work is held in various collections, including the Tate Gallery and the Tate Modern.
