[Musashino Art University Museum & Library] Exhibition “Reviving Postmodernism — Shiro Kuramata, Makoto Komatsu, Masaharu Takasaki, and Humanism in Design” Image
URL: Musashino Art University Press Release: October 2, 2025 [Musashino Art University Museum and Library] Exhibition “Reviving Postmodernism — Shiro Kuramata, Makoto Komatsu, Masaharu Takasaki, and Humanism in Design”
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/83551/189/83551-189-11f30675b5272bac916027de5c41b548-3872×2592.jpg 2. Makoto Komatsu, Crinkle Series Super Bag K1, 1975, porcelain, 35.0 x 23.0 x 11.4 cm
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/83551/189/83551-189-1f4f0e4884e2bd9e4b6c452938a137f6-3000×2001.jpg 3. Masaharu Takasaki, “Kihoku Tenkyukan Model,” 1992, plasticine, paper, metal core, 67.0 x 71.0 x 101.0 cm, artist’s collection. The Musashino Art University Museum and Library is pleased to present “Reviving Postmodernism: Shiro Kuramata, Makoto Komatsu, Masaharu Takasaki, and the Humanism of Design.” The “postmodern” trend spread throughout the fields of architecture and design in the late 1970s, thanks to American architectural historian Charles Jencks’s classic book, “The Language of Postmodernism” (1977). While it is often described as characterized by its eclecticism and excessive
ornamentation, this exhibition examines it from a broader cultural historical perspective as “humanism”—creation that seeks a new society and a new way of life for humans—and reexamines its essence, especially half a century later. Overview Dates: November 24, 2025 (Monday, Shinkyu) – December 21, 2025 (Sunday) Opening hours: 11:00-19:00 (10:00-17:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and November 24th) Closed: Wednesday Admission: Free Venue: Musashino Art University Museum, Exhibition Room 3 Organizer: Musashino Art University Museums and Libraries Special Cooperation: Makoto Komatsu, Masaharu Takasaki, Uchida Design Institute Venue Design: IGARASHI DESIGN STUDIO (Hisae Igarashi, Manabu Fujita) Planning Supervision: Takashi Niimi (Musashino Art University) Faculty of Art and Design, Liberal Arts and Culture/Curatorial Program Laboratory Professor, Museum/Library Director) Highlights 1. Discover the roots of “postmodernism.” This exhibition assumes that the spirit of “protest” against the status quo is the essence of postmodernism, focusing on two distinct movements spanning different periods: the religious life design of the 18th-century American Shakers, and the Arts and Crafts movement of 19th-century England led by William Morris (1834-1896), which advocated a return to handcrafts and medieval guilds. The roots of postmodernism are found in these attitudes, which sought labor = beauty = community in a mass society centered on cities and leaning toward machine-driven mass production and economic efficiency. The two movements and the products that resulted from them embodied the quiet strength that occurs when belief is imbued in an object, an attitude that would later carry over to the postmodern era.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/83551/189/83551-189-88c89fca323e6a5f0bc117bafaf71876-1800×2700.jpg 4. Shaker “Straight Chair” Late 1700s [Reproduced 1998] Hard maple and canvas tape, 109.0 x 47.0 x 43.0 cm
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/83551/189/83551-189-f213d2277c1c7351b38b60a91702af01-3000×2288.jpg 5. William Morris et al., “The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer,” 1896, 43.0 x 29.5 cm 2. The May 1968 Paris uprising. A “protest” that spread around the world. Starting with the Paris Revolution of May 1968, young people and workers around the world protested against existing authority and order through the anti-Vietnam War movement, hippie culture, and the Zenkyoto movement. Around this time, radical forms of expression emerged that would later become postmodern design. Reflecting on the optimistic progressivism of modernism, which believed in rationality and functionality, architects and designers sought new forms that embraced personal narratives and critiqued history and society. This exhibition showcases various aspects of the counterculture that emerged simultaneously around the world, including a video work based on Guy Debord’s book “La Société du Spectacle,” which had a major influence on the Paris Revolution, and Archigram, a magazine in which a group of young architects sought to deconstruct architecture. We will also introduce the diverse postmodern
expressions that developed as a result of the radical expressions around 1968.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/83551/189/83551-189-1bd15d8a393ad6162dd77f67e84ac7e1-1835×1226.jpg 6. Ettore Sottsass, “Sixteen,” “Fourteen,” “Thirteen,” “Fifteen,” 1986, wood and glass, 219.5 x 50.0 x 50.0 cm, 206.0 x 50.0 x 50.0 cm, 201.0 x 50.0 x 50.0 cm, 193.0 x 50.0 x 50.0 cm 3. Three creators conveying postmodern thought to the present day. This exhibition brings together major works by the three central artists: Shiro Kuramata (1934-1991), Makoto Komatsu (1943-), and Masaharu Takasaki (1953-). While the three artists gathered here share no obvious artistic commonalities, each, drawing on their own unique foresight and ideology, has used their creative work to sharply critique the society in which they find themselves. When we try to understand what gives their work its strength, we will notice that a spirit of “dissent” also permeates it. “Postmodernism” is not over. Perhaps sharp criticism of the current state of society through creative practice is an idea and theme of paramount importance, especially in today’s turbulent world, where we seek global community and tolerance.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/83551/189/83551-189-aae3c3de0c435798133b1e1f39746857-3900×3692.jpg 7. Shiro Kuramata, “Homage to Josef Hoffmann Vol. 2,” 1986, wood, fabric, and miniature light bulbs, 92.0 x 90.0 x 75.0 cm
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/83551/189/83551-189-9859ad9690fda3887482a149a4dbb3c5-3000×2001.jpg 8. Makoto Komatsu, “Sky Series,” 2011, porcelain, 7.8 x 20.5 x 17.0 cm, artist’s collection
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/83551/189/83551-189-cddfef00c5027df7e7c8460cb7446f4c-1912×2700.jpg 9. Masaharu Takasaki, “House of Heaven and Earth, Drawing,” 2009, 59.5 x 42.0 cm, pencil on paper, artist’s collection Main artists scheduled to exhibit (in no particular order): Shiro Kuramata, Makoto Komatsu, Masaharu Takasaki, Shakers, William Morris, Philip Webb, Guy Debord, Iseo Nose, Archigram, Aldo Rossi, Studio Alchimia, Ettore Sottsass, Michael Graves, Robert Venturi, Shigeru Uchida, and others *All works without a collection listed are owned by the Musashino Art University Museum & Library. Related Events 1. Opening Symposium Date and Time: Saturday, November 29th, 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM (Doors open at 12:30 PM) Venue: Museum Hall “Shiro Kuramata and Shigeru Uchida” Speaker: Tadashi Hasebe (Uchida Design Institute) Representative), Hisae Igarashi (Professor, Department of Spatial Design, Faculty of Art and Design, Musashino Art University / IGARASHI DESIGN STUDIO), Takashi Niimi “Until Architecture is Imbued with Spirit” Stars: Masaharu Takasaki (Masaharu Takasaki Architects), Takashi Niimi 2. Gallery Talk by the Organizer Date and Time: Thursday, December 4th, 4:40 PM – 5:30 PM Venue: Museum Exhibition Room 3 Starring: Takashi Niimi 3. Screening of the Documentary “In Search of the Horizon of Community” (1975) with Talk Date and Time: Saturday, December 13th, 4:30-6:45 PM (Doors open at 4:00 PM) Venue: Museum Hall Performer: Nose Iseo (Videographer / Art Exhibition Planner / Live House PEPPERLAND Director) *Free admission / First-come, first-served (no reservations required) / Please come directly to the venue. *Please check the latest information on our website. Concurrent Events “Assistant Professor and Research Associate Exhibition 2025: Musashino Art University Assistant Professor and Research Associate Research Presentations” For more information about this release Press release attachments
