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川上力三展 KAWAKAMI RIKIZO exhibition
「火の器」「水の器」‘vessel of fire ’and ‘vessel of water’2001年4月 ART SPAC 感

   

 

アルゼンチン近代美術館 蔵
Collection of Argentina museum of modern art

   

通度門をくぐった川上力三さん ー「火の器」「水の器」展を拝見して 藤 慶之 (美術ジャーナリスト)

Mr.KAWAKAMI Rikizo Passed Through The Gate,'Tsudo-mon'

--On his exhibition ‘vessel of fire ’and ‘vessel of water’--

by FUJI Yoshiyuki (art critic )

   
 あれは、たしか1974年の秋だったと記憶している。当時、前衛陶芸集団「走泥社」(1998年解散)の主要メンバーの一人として異才

ぶりを発揮していた川上力三さんが突然やってきて「これから韓国へ行ってくるんだけれど、治安の状態はどうだろうか?」と切り出した。

聞けば、首都ソウル市内にある前衛作家たちの中心的発表の場「明東画廊」で個展を開くため、愛車に自作の陶彫群を満載して単身訪韓す

るのだという。数カ月前、作家仲間に加わって約一カ月、戒厳令下の韓国各地を苦労しながら走りまわってきた矢先だっただけに、同年齢

の陶芸家の決意に頭の下がる思いがしたものだ。

 1970年前後の川上さんといえば、大きな球体の割れ目から極小の球体がこぼれ落ちて徐々に大きな球体へと変貌していく不気味な床上

配列の作品群や、石膏型取りした牛乳紙パック・コーラビン・空きカンなどが徐々に壊れていく陶彫群に、大量消費文化風刺の想いを託し

ていた時代。ソウルでの個展会場には、これらの近作にまじってドイツ・ナチスの鉄カブト10数個がこれも徐々にくずれていく陶彫群を並

べたため、不審な眼で見られたこともあったという。

 韓国個展を終えたあとの川上陶彫には、明らかに変化が生じた。それまで美術館の床面いっぱいに大小さまざまな陶彫群を配列して世

相風刺を試みてきたが、1980年前後から単体の「椅子」(座)シリーズが登場。雌雄対称のイスや座れないイスなど、ここでも椅子(座)と

いう階級制度の象徴を通して反権力、反体制の姿勢が貫かれていた。

 その後の作風展開にも注目した。1990年前後になると、廃墟の壁に孤独な椅子が置かれた「壁」シリーズ、その延長線上に生まれた「段」

シリーズが登場。今にも壊れそうな廃墟か古城跡を思わす構造体に、遠近法的な階段がからみつき上方へ消失していく…といった景観彫刻

を、得意の手びねり造形で組み立てた陶彫だ。地位や名誉を求めて世俗の階段をよじ登っていく人間宿業に対する、悲しいほどの無言の警

鐘が、ここでも伝わってくるようだ。

 最近の仕事に「門」シリーズがお目見えする。「壁」や「段」シリー^ズの単体を組み合わせて、神社の鳥居風に構築した大がかりな構造体

だ。ややもすれば意識が勝ち過ぎて大らかさが薄らぎがちだった従来の作風に比べると、明らかにスケールの大きいのびやかな構造体へと

変貌し始めている。それにしても、なぜまた「門」なのか。胸の内をたずねてみると、初個展いらい幾度も訪れることになる韓国の釜山に、

通度寺という山中の仏教寺院があった。修行僧たちは、俗世を捨てて信仰の道に入る第一歩として、厳粛な思いで寺の門をくぐらなければ

ならない。つまり、現世と来世をつなぐのが「通度門」なのだ。「ボクが追い求めてきた座も壁も段も、所詮は内面的な門の追求。祈りの

気持ちで通度の門をくぐり、心に区切りをつけて制作に当たり、生きていきたい」と近境を語る。その決意のあらわれか、洛西・西芳寺

(苔寺)近くの自宅玄関先には「通度軒」なる表札が掛かっていた。

その川上さんが、珍しく「器」の展覧会を開くというのでオープン前日の夕方、会場を訪れた。「器」展といっても、花瓶や茶碗を 

並べた日常雑器の発表ではなく、日本人が古くから生活用具としてきた「火の器」「水の器」を、独自の陶彫造形によって現代によみ

がえらせようという試み。ユニークな画廊空間には、すでに新作の「器」類が配置ずみだった。

 さほど広くもない吹き抜けの坪庭。暮れなずむ薄闇の中に、ほのかな灯りが見える。目をこらすと、一部が壊れかけたような角柱状

や丸味を帯びた龕状の陶彫からもれてくる灯りだ。肝心のロウソクや灯芯は陰に隠れて見えないのだが、内部に施された金、銀(プラ

チナ)、銅の上絵効果によって反射する間接照明となっているのだ。

中には、角柱に円窓を設け、遮へいした半円窓に無数の穴をあけて灯りを取る、という楽しい仕掛けも…。こうした「火の器」にまじっ

て登場する「水の器」が、また楽しい。これまた、同じように黒ずんだ平べったい直方形の中央に、片口状のへこみを入れた陶彫。水

を張れば、洒落たつくばいにもなるし、一輪の落椿を浮かべれば立派な水盤にも使えそうだ。雨の日など、片口状のへこみ口から水が

あふれる風情も、また格別だろう。

 今ひとつ、畳敷きの画廊奥の間に並ぶ香具類。香炉や香合、線香立てなど、前衛陶芸家たちにとっては“御法度”視されがちだった

道具類に、あえて挑戦している。それも従来の「茶道具」の臭味は少しもない。極力色彩を押さえた幾何学抽象的な色面構成模様の妙

もさることながら、肝心の形体が楽しい。聞けば、無心に土をこねている最中に突然生じる快い形から試作をつくり、それをもとに手

びねり成形した成果だという。無作為の作為が生み出した、すがすがしい「現代の茶道具」とは言えまいか。この心境に到達するまで

には、やはり60余年の年輪が必要だったのか。病と闘いながら、持ち前の自制力で新境地の作陶を成しとげた川上さん。「通度門」を

くぐり、いよいよ自在奔放な世界へ突入されんことを期待したい。

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Mr.KAWAKAMI Rikizo Passed Through The Gate,'Tsudo-mon'

--On his exhibition ‘vessel of fire ’and ‘vessel of water’--

by FUJI Yoshiyuki (art critic )

   
 It was probably in the fall of 1974, I remember. Mr. Kawakami suddenly came to me and said,

"I'm going to visit Korea, and could you tell me how the social order in that country is?" At that

time I knew him as a brilliant artist and one of the leading members of 'Sodei-sha', a group of

avant-garde ceramic artists (dissolved in 1998).

 He was going to visit Korea alone with his ceramic sculptures in his car to give an exhibition  

of his works at Myong-Dong Gallery in Seoul.

 Avant-garde artists showed their works at that gallery. I was impressed by his determination 

because I myself had had difficulty in traveling around Korea under martial law several months

before.

 Around the year 1970, Mr. Kawakami's works are full of satires on mass-consumption culture.

 One of his works is like this: a small ball that dropped from a crack of a big ball changes

gradually into a huge ball (displayed on the floor).

 Another example is: a group of ceramic sculptures of milk quarts, cola bottles and empty cans

that get broken gradually (made with plaster mold and also displayed on the floor). At this

exhibition in Seoul, he displayed on the floor his ceramic sculptures of steel helmets of Nazi

that get gradually broken, which made some people feel strange.

 After his exhibition in Seoul, there was an evident change in his ceramic sculpture works.

 He had been showing satire on society by his various groups of ceramic sculptures displayed

on the floor of the art museum, but around the year 1980, a series of 'chair' appeared in his

works. Among them is a pair of a male chair and a female chair. Here, he showed his anti-

establishment or anti-authority attitude through 'a chair' --- a symbol of class system.

 Then what drew my attention around 1990 are a series of 'wall' and 'steps', the former is a wall

of the ruin with an isolated chair attached on and the latter, a combination of a structure

that seems to be a ruin which is about to fall down and steps climbing up into the air. You

can hear his silent warning to human beings who are eager to climb steps seeking for

status or fame.

 One of his recent works is a series of 'gate'. It is a large-scaled structure that seems to be

a shrine archway called 'torii', combined with 'a wall' and 'steps'. His works has changed

evidently into this kind of large-scale structure  with more relaxed atmosphere in comparison

with his former works. Then comes the question "Why gate?" He had visited Pusan several times

after his first exhibition in Korea and he found a gate at Tondo Buddhist temple in the

mountains near Pusan. The monks had to go through the gate solemnly as their first step

into the religious life, giving up their secular life. In other words, that gate connects this

world and next world. "I have been seeking for 'chair', 'wall' and 'steps', and they are my pursuit

for the gate inside myself. I would like to go through the gate, 'Tsudo-mon' offering my prayer

and find myself live in an entirely new world." I found a doorplate saying 'Tsudo-ken' at the

front door of his house near Saihoji(Kokedera) temple in Rakusai. It seemed to show his firm

resolution.

 It is unusual with Mr. Kawakami to give the exhibition of 'vessels' and of course I was at his

exhibition.

 What he meant by the word 'vessels' is not vases, plates and cups that are used daily.

It is an attempt by his own way of making  ceramic sculpture to revive 'vessels of fire'

and 'vessels of water' that Japanese people has been used in daily life.

 In a small Japanese garden, you can see dim lights in the twilight, which come from ceramic

vessels shaped like a hanging bell or square-pillar shaped ones. You cannot see the candles

themselves, because they are placed inside the vessels.

 They are indirect lighting with the reflection by the effect of the color of gold, silver (platinum)

and copper inside of the vessels. Among them is a square-pillar vessel with a round window.

 The window is half-covered and there are a lot of holes on the covered part. You can enjoy

the light from this vessel. In addition to these vessels of fire, 'vessels of water' are also

enjoyable. They are flat rectangular parallel piped ceramics with a hole in the center and a

narrow groove from the hole to the edge. With water in the hole, you can float a flower on it,

or you can simply set them in your garden to enjoy seeing water running out from the hole

and then through the edge if it's rainy.

 This time I found one more thing in his works that impressed me --- the utensils for tea cere-

mony such as incense burner, incense containers and incense holders. Avant-garde artists have

seldom been interested in these things for cere-mony, but Mr. Kawakami did try them. His works

have no taste of traditional ones; they have geometrical patterns with fewer colors on them

and we can enjoy the shape itself. The Ideasca me to his mind while he was absorbed in

working with porcelain clay, and then he made it into a shape. We can call them "the modern

utensils for tea ceremony." They seem to be made with elaborate care, but actually they are

not. He needed about sixty years to reach this state of mind. In spite of his life under medical

treatment, he has succeeded in creating a new style of works. Now he has passed through

the gate, 'Tsudo-mon', I hope that Mr. Kawakami will go into the new world where he can work

more freely than ever.

  translated by TSUMA Michiko

 

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