BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN | Following World War II, Japan enjoyed rapid industrialization and an economic surge. The mood there, however, became tinged with anxiety in the early 1950s when the US–Japan Security Treaty (Anpo) formalized a continued American military presence within the island nation’s borders. By the late ‘60s, this tension had escalated to the point where political radicalism and mass protests erupted across Japan. Yet in 1970, even as the renewal of Anpo embroiled Japan in the Vietnam War, the post-war “economic miracle” had given way to a recession — and activism quickly dissolved into apathy.
An excellent group exhibition at two Manhattan venues, “For a New World to Come: Experiments in Japanese Art and Photography, 1968-1979,” examines the groundbreaking shift in the Japanese cultural landscape during this time. Comprised of approximately 250 objects by no less than 29 artists, it documents how the social discord in Japan coincided with the emergence of a new visual language. As many Japanese artists and photographers began to embrace camera-based experiments, they developed a uniquely sober and sometimes introverted viewpoint reflective of an age of uncertainty.
By including traditional photography, photographic installations, photography books, and 16mm film projects, curators Yasufumi Nakamori and Yuri Mitsuda succeed in providing — for the first time — a good overview of an overlooked decade, when art and photography drew closer together than ever before.
FOR A NEW WORLD TO COME: EXPERIMENTS IN JAPANESE ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY, 1968-1979 | Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St. | Through Jan. 10: Tue.–Thu.., 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Fri., 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sat.–Sun., 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | $12; $10 for students & seniors | japansociety.org
Grey Art Gallery | 100 Washington Sq. East, btwn. Waverly Pl. & Washington Pl. | Through Dec. 5: Tue., Thu., Fri., 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | $3 | nyu.edu/greyart
