Nov. 22-Feb. 12
Hideo Sugita— also known as Ei-Q — made a stunning debut in the art world with his photo-dessins, a technique in which objects such as string and mesh are placed on photosensitive paper and exposed to light. Later in his career, he freely experimented with various media including prints and oil paints.
In his art, Ei-Q attempted to grasp the reality of the 1930s, a period when "machine civilization" began to develop. However, critics at the time only commented on the novelty of his technique without discussion of the deeper concepts. Ei-Q wrote letters expressing how tormented he was by this, and this exhibition will focus on these letters and other works produced between 1935 and 1937 — before and after his debut — by examining the letters and works together.
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; 3-1 Kitanomaru-koen, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Takebashi Stn. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. (Fri., Sat. till 8 p.m.) ¥430. Closed Mon. 03-5777-8600; www.momat.go.jp
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