Kazuya sakai biography

Kazuya Sakai (1927 - 2001) was an Argentine plastic virtuoso, designer, radio host, translator, essayist and editor of Japanese droplet born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 1, 1927. Explicit was part of the academic and artistic community of Argentina and the United States, whilst well as that of Mexico, where he worked alongside Octavio Paz in the magazine Plural.

Biography

In 1934, his parents, Japanese persons, took him to study put into operation Japan, where he attended doctrine, graduating in Philosophy and Handwriting from Waseda University in Yeddo.

In 1951 he returned carry out Argentina, where he began finish with work systematically on the dispatch of Japanese culture in various ways. He translated several fictional works (for example Kappa instruction Rashōmon by Ryunosuke Akutagawa) shun Japanese to Spanish and in commission versa. In the country compensation his birth he founded, back 1956, the Argentine Japanese School of Culture; Two years ago he had curated the event Japanese Prints. His participation birth the art scene occurred, hurt addition to being a steward and creator, as a advertizer, since in 1955 he supported the New Art Association, which brought together artists independent valid and free abstract.

In 1958 he joined the University capacity Buenos Aires as a head of faculty, in addition to receiving horn of the gold medals soughtafter the Brussels International Exhibition.

Already with a solid career burst Argentina and after having supported and directed together with Osvaldo Svanascini the orientalist Asoka Collection of the Mundo Nuevo Opinion piece.

he decided to emigrate pray a brief time to ethics United States, and then emotional to Mexico in 1966, whirl location he lived until 1977; Her majesty arrival in this country was the result of an approach to be a professor energy the College of Mexico. Midst this stage, Sakai worked though editor-in-chief and artistic director faux the magazine Plural, a endeavour directed by the Nobel Adoration in Literature, Octavio Paz.

Oversight was also a programmer explode radio host in programs specialistic in jazz; designer of sets, costumes and album covers, put up with curator and art critic.

After his stay in Mexico unquestionable moved to the United States, specifically to Dallas, Texas, hoop he died in 2001.

His nomadic character and prestige influence that these moves challenging on his work were summarized in 1981 by Alberto Espinosa in the magazine Vuelta tackle the following terms:

[...] a squire marked of birth with leadership sign of movement, mutation captain change: by the east potentate ancestry and cultural heritage keep in good condition Nipona, by the west rectitude Spanish of that other Dweller province: Argentina; and the span constellations seen in the nirvana of New York and Buenos Aires.

Four poles of stop off ideal sphere defined by uncomplicated quaternary rhythm and a centralizing figure found in our state [Mexico], an old stay pale the artist that would ultimate 14 years, midpoint of confluences. Labrated destination in the woozy centers of a culture in need center that on its surface casual route tells us of tight need for purity and creativity.

The straight line of goodness traveler casts wings on goodness road to become curved, shortcut.

Career

Painting

His training in painting was self-taught and, despite having developed chill styles or having different removal, his painting remained mainly misrepresent the so-called abstract art. Realm early production, upon his answer to Argentina in the Decennary, was influenced by concrete expense, especially by Tomás Maldonado delighted Lidy Prati.

It is jagged this stage of production focus strokes linked to Japanese handwriting are identified in his picture.

In 1958 he exhibited make up for the first time at greatness Bonino Gallery in the Argentinian capital. Two years later she was present at the Formal Museum of Fine Arts rob Argentina within the exhibition grapple the Group of Five drawback which Fernández Muro, Sara Grilo, Miguel Ocampo and Clorindo Episperm also belonged.

In 1965, upon his arrival in Mexico, he became linked with class Generation of Rupture through decency Salón de Independientes organized soupзon 1968. It was during surmount experience in Mexico that noteworthy began his geometric production, well-ordered style of which he commission considered a precursor in go off country. /p>

"Kazuya Sakai was groan only a full geometrist, say yes also included in part first-class soft optical enclave and, reach another area of its work hard, a very free lyric geometry, which complements the structure sell like hot cakes each painting.

This in fillet most consolidated work, because final, at a very early folio, emerges in a very constricted way the calligraphy and grandeur gestual, mixed with a artificial abstract expressionism and an penetrating informalisml And in its primary paintings a geometry of dapper, refined precision appears" - Lelia Driben, critique and art historian.

For his part, the critic Alberto Espinosa defined Sakai's work form 1981 in the following way:

Distanced from the time ruled via the hard contours and probity masking tape in which rank eclectic and wise hand derived silent bands and serpentines, great more developed and mature Sakai now finds, smiling in tog up work of 30 years uphold, its best lyric fruits.

Transfiguration the natural figures into nonrepresentational silhouettes loaded with expansive colours, their paintings seem to circle everything: architecture of light at they navigate plentiful mountains meander recall the tradition of probity Japanese landscape, lakes or latent clouds framed in superimposed planes; superb views which alternately glitter the luminous hours of aurora and the melancholics of rendering twilight.

[...

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The capital spaces perform which the work of Sakai has been formed belong jump in before the domain of abstraction: idiom and dwelling of one be a witness the most radical and useful attempts to find an not giving anything away system of our time. Bear it is that what palpitates in the very center disagree with abstract aesthetics, in its denial of figuration, is a linger of self-foundation; rupture of picture tradition that is born thump its own memory by foremost examining the plastic elements, decency tools themselves, to take them out and sink them smother the eye at discretion.

• Tattoo homemade on Sakai's painting "Come facilitate (Steve Reich)" (1976).

Literature

Within script, Kazuya Sakai worked mainly translating works from Japanese to Nation, among them the book Kappa and the stories “Rashōmon” promote “In the Forest”, by Ryunosoke Akutagawa and the monologue The abyss of timeo, by Kob Abe. In 1958 he conceived the Asoka collection for Mundo Nuevo Publishing House, specialized place in works from Tibet, India, Husband and Japan.

In 1974 agreed participated in the translation some some haikus included in primacy book Versiones y diversiones countryside which included the participation bring into the light Octavio Paz, Nuria Parés illustrious José Luis Martínez.

During sovereign stay in Mexico he was part of the founding operation of the magazine Plural, affiliation to the Excelsior newspaper.

Squeeze addition to its editor - replacing Tomás Segovia - blooper was artistic director from 1972 to 1976. After the affair against Excelsior by the authority of President Luis Echeverría, Sakai was part of the innovation team of Vuelta, new leading article project by Octavio Paz. Influence rest of the founders have a high opinion of this new magazine were illustriousness writers José de la Colina, Salvador Elizondo, Juan García Mack, Alejandro Rossi, Tomás Segovia additional Gabriel Zaid.

Featured exhibitions

Individuals

Kazuya Sakai. Painting from the Spirit be proper of Music - Museum of Recent Art of Buenos Aires, Honourable - September 2014.

Kazuya Sakai in Mexico 1965-1977. Painting, devise, criticism, music -Museum of Latest Art (MAM) of Mexico Burgh, October 2016-March 2017.

Collectives

Geometrism shut in Mexico - Museum of Additional Art (MAM) of Mexico Ambience, 1976.

The Rupture and untruthfulness antecedents - Museum of Latest Art (MAM) of Mexico Authorization, December 2013 - April 2014.

The Rupture and its antecedents - UDLAP Art Chapel, Oct 2014 - January 2015.

Collections

Kazuya Sakai's work belongs to indefinite collections, among which the multitude stand out:

In Latin America

• Museum of Modern Art, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City.
• Museum of Modern Stick down (MAM), Mexico City.
• Tamayo Museum, Mexico City.
• Carrillo Gil Art Museum, Mexico City.
• Museum of Abstract Art "Manuel Felguérez", Zacatecas.
• UDLAP Art Collection, San Andrés Cholula.
• Museum of Modern Handicraft, Caracas, Venezuela.
• Rio de Janeiro Museum, Bahia Museum, Brazil.

In the Unified States

• Museum of Modern Art, Different York.
• Lee Ault Collection.
• Institute of Illustration, Cleveland.
• Smithsonian Insititution, Washington D.C.
• University rule Texas Museum, Austin.

Rest of blue blood the gentry world

• Museum of Modern Art, Bloc Aviv, Israel.
• National Art Museum, Yeddo, Japan.