Garden of Metamorphosis

by Tetsumi Kudo, Mike Kelley, Hiroko Kudo

"Tetsumi Kudo: Garden of Metamorphosis" accompanies the first solo museum presentation of this highly original but under-studied artist's work in the United States. Organized by the Walker Art Center in close collaboration with Hiroko Kudo, the artist's widow, it features approximately 70 works covering the full trajectory of his amazingly productive career, which spanned from the late 1950s through the 80s. Born in Japan, Kudo first gained notoriety in the Tokyo art scene of the late 50s. He immigrated to Paris in 1962, working in a range of media--objects, sculpture, installation, drawing and painting--and presenting numerous Happenings and performances. Kudo's work and activities intersect with many important postwar artistic trends--including French Nouveau Realisme, Fluxus, Pop art, 60s anti-art tendencies and 80s Postmodernism. Throughout his life and career, Kudo remained particularly Japanese while his art and vision were consistently and uniquely transcultural, internationalist and cosmopolitan. This beautifully designed exhibition catalogue includes an essay examining Kudo's philosophy, the evolution of his artistic vocabulary and his place in art history by curator Doryun Chong; a reflection by artist Mike Kelley; a selection of Kudo's writings, interviews with the artist and other historical criticism; and an illustrated chronology by Hiroko Kudo.

Genres: Art

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Cameron_Asao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm impressed by how the Walker has presented both the life and work of Tetsumi Kudo, and I'm glad that I decided to read it all the way through. This isn't a pick through kind of book, but one that is supposed to be read thoroughly.

I grabbed it from the library for the aesthetics, and was skeptical about the artist's ideas. Happy to say, this book was able to guide me through Kudo's life and ideas in a way that was engaging and made sense.

Now I have a more holistic view of his work, and his ideas seem real.