Hiraku: Opening Up To Freedom

Katsumi Nakai

31 Mar – 22 Apr 2023

Curatorial text by: Charmaine Tam

Novalis Art Design

G/F, 197 Hollywood Road, Hong Kong

Hiraku: Opening Up To Freedom
Charmaine Tam

‘I’m interested in the mystery of the objects that vibrate or change: open and close.’
‘I am opening up spaces.’

Katsumi Nakai  (1927 – 2013)

 

This is an exhibition of Japanese artist Katsumi Nakai’s defining oeuvre, despite being his later works from 1991 – 2011. In finding Milan, Nakai found freedom in his own terms, namely his signature style of ‘hiraku’ (opening) works. Since his first work in this manner in 1966, Nakai has continuously explored the different possibilities of ‘hiraku’（‮٦‬‭}‬٪ط) (opening), which is opening up from 2D into new space and dimensions. Nakai’s work is unique in its hybridity. His work is a cross between painting and sculpture, melding Eastern and Western influences (be it a conscious or unconscious decision). It is impossible to classify Nakai as one or the other, as his work reflects himself as a whole, whether that is his personality, or his life experiences from both the East (Japan) and West (Italy). Regardless of whether it was a conscious decision on Nakai’s part, the Eastern and Western influences have been absorbed by the artist through osmosis of simply living and experiencing culture from both Japan and Italy. Hence why viewers can get the sense of both Eastern and Western influences while looking at Nakai’s works.

 

It is necessary to understand Nakai’s background in order to see how he came to making works in this signature style, to understand his work as his own pursuit of freedom of sorts. Nakai was born in Osaka in 1927 and grew up with a Shinto priest father. The term Shinto means ‘Doctrine of the Gods.’ His father and his upbringing had a lasting impact on him, both in the formation of his character, and how he views relationships with the world and with others. Recounting his childhood Nakai said:

 

‘When I was a child this State religion attributed divine origins to the emperor and to the ruling dynasty. During the day we all lived in a small house near the temple. Every first and fifteenth day of the month my father wore ancient costumes for important ceremonies. […] The temple was on a small hill surrounded by pine and secular trees. I would run down the hill towards the lawn launching my kite in the sky.’

 

Nakai respected his father immensely. He was very proud of having a father who was a strict upholder of Japanese tradition. His Shitoist upbringing perhaps had an impact on his character. Nakai was a purist in the sense that he liked everything to be clear and was adamant on fairness whether with people or things. This is reflected in his work in the cleanliness and purity of line and shape. Although his ‘hiraku’ works offer seemingly endless variations, with the possibility and experience of opening up space and dimension to discover previously hidden colours or shapes, the overall effect remains clear rather than convoluted.

 

Nakai was 17 years old when World War II ended. The war undoubtedly left an important and massive impact on him. His heart was heavy after witnessing the horrors of the Second World War. ‘Art is life, not death. If you go to war you have to kill or get yourself killed. I [Nakai] didn’t like it.’ He chose art and started painting to feel free. Partially to find freedom and peace from this heavy feeling leftover from the war, and to escape the many traditional confines imposed by Japanese society. He recalled that, ‘On 15th August peace came: The people that up until yesterday were traditionalist and obedient, suddenly became modern, progressive, hungry for more freedom and innovation.’ He was a founding member of Japanese art group Tekkeikai in 1958.  Even then, he felt too restricted in the Japanese art world. In his own words, ‘[…] few Japanese collectors liked the avant-garde art; people wanted traditional, academic and commercial art.’ And so, in 1964, he ‘left chasing the sun,’ looking for a sense of freedom, and found Milan.

 

Nakai arrived in Milan in 1964, to a city in the midst of change. In the 1960s, Italy had mostly healed from the havoc of World War II and was experiencing the ‘economic miracle.’ This was also reflected in various avant-garde art movements that emerged around Milan and elsewhere in Italy. Nakai was quickly accepted into the circle of the ‘New Milanese School’ as crowned by critic Guido Ballo, where there was also close overlap with Spatialism (Spazialismo) that was spearheaded by Lucio Fontana. Nakai was immensely curious about Lucio Fontana’s slashed canvas and concept of Spatialism. For a brief understanding of Spatialism’s main concept, here is a quote from a talk given by Lucio Fontana at the Milan Triennale in 1951:

 

‘We have renounced the practice of familiar art forms and are working to develop a kind of art based on the unity of time and space…We think of art as a sum of physical elements: colour, sound, movement, time, and space, brought together in a physical and mental whole. Colour, an element of space; sound, an element of time; and movement, unfolding in space and time. These are the foundations of Spatialist art.’

 

Inspired by Fontana and other artists active in Spatialism, Nakai started experimenting with wood as early as late 1965, where he began cutting pieces of wood. He made his first complete ‘hiraku’ work in 1966. Nakai was already experimenting with a more three-dimensional way of working in his paintings in the 1950s, where he painted oil paint in thick, but precise and sharp layers using a palette knife. His encounter with Fontana’s work sparked a breakthrough. Nakai found the freedom he had been pursuing and arrived at ‘hiraku’ works. Instead of Fontana’s cutting and incising, Nakai went further. He cut into a piece of wood, thus creating works that open up and reach out into surrounding space and dimension. Nakai worked in this style and method ever since, throughout the rest of his career. This is not to say that Nakai remained stagnant, but he continuously explored the different possibilities of ‘hiraku,’ of opening up new spaces and dimensions through experimenting with different shapes, different ways of opening, and different colours. In his own words, Nakai expressed his views towards the process of developing his ‘hiraku’ works:

 

‘I sensed […] the necessity to express myself through the third dimension. […] I tried various materials until I discovered that wood is the most suitable for my sensitivity. I was happy. And this is it.’

 

The works presented here at Art Central and Novalis Art Design in Hong Kong are his ‘hiraku’ works spanning 1991 – 2011, a few years before his death. They are, nonetheless, equally representative of his life practice. Some are biomorphic abstract shapes that open up to reveal more secret discoveries in colour. Others start off as a monochromatic rectangular flat painting but open up to reveal surprising colours and shapes. In terms of colour, the viewer might notice that the use of red is quite prominent within the series of works presented here. Red was the colour that Nakai used the most frequently. Simply because he loved it and the vivacity and vibrancy of red ‘made him feel good’.

Some critics have mentioned the motion of folding and unfolding in his ‘hiraku’ works being like origami. However, it must be noted that Nakai’s work is not foldable. Or rather, he did not view them as foldable works. He himself stated adamantly, ‘They are not foldable works. I am opening up spaces.’ Nakai was only ever interested in the ‘opening up’, and not the ‘closing in.’  Of course, they must coexist within the work, but Nakai’s work can be closed and returned to its original state only so that the act of the work ‘opening up’ can be experienced again. So that the opening up to new spaces, dimensions, and new discoveries can be enjoyed over and over.

It is interesting to note that his works have been compared to both Japanese and Western influences. They have been likened to church altarpieces, or little shrines in Eastern culture; some find the colouring to be Japanese in character, some see an Italian sensibility in the vividness of the colours; some see flora and fauna harkening back to kacho-fugetsu, the traditional subject matter foregrounding nature in Japanese culture, others see Western architectural influences or biomorphic shapes. It is not one or the other. In terms of Japanese influence, it was never intentional. However, it is inevitable that Nakai’s Japanese upbringing would have had an impact on his art subconsciously. He grew up in Japan, then lived in Milan for thirty years before returning to Japan back in 1995/6. His work is an amalgamation of his life experience, of his experience living in both Japan and Italy, and hence they show hints of both Eastern and Western culture, melded seamlessly together to form a portrait of Katsumi Nakai the artist, and his life.

Katsumi Nakai spent his life pursuing freedom. He has found it in art. In the act of ‘hiraku,’ opening up, and in his works, he shares this experience, this freedom of opening up to new discoveries to his viewers and to posterity.

 

 

「開く」：向自由開放

「我對會振動或變化的物體的奧秘很感興趣：打開和關閉。」
「我是在開闢空間。」

中井克巳(1927 – 2013)

是次展覽展出日本藝術家中井克巳（Katsumi Nakai）的代表性作品，即便它們均屬於1991-2011年間的後期創作。在探索米蘭的過程中，中井確立了他的標誌性「打開」（開く）系列作品，並以此為自己找到了自由。自1966年他首次以此風格創作以來，中井不斷探索「打開」的不同可能性，即是從二維空間去開闢新的空間和維度。中井的作品擁有獨一無二的混合性，是繪畫和雕塑的交匯，並同時（在有意或無意之間）融合東方和西方的影響。我們難以把中井克巳的創作歸類於一方，因為他的作品反映了一個整體的自我，包括他的個性，以及來自東方（日本）和西方（意大利）的生活經驗。不論是否有意為之，東西方的影響就在中井於日本與意大利的日常生活之時被他吸收。因此，觀眾在欣賞中井的作品時，可以同時感受到東方和西方的影響。

要了解中井克巳如何發展出他的標誌性創作風格，便要先從他的背景開始，把作品理解為自身對某種自由的追求。1927年中井於大阪出生，父親是一位神道教的神職人員，神道的意思可被理解為「隨神之道」。父親與成長環境對他影響深遠，既塑造了自身的性格，亦形成對世界和與他人關係的看法。談到童年時，中井說

「當我還是個孩子時，我們的國教視天皇與皇朝的起源為神聖的。白天，我們都住在寺廟附近的一間小房子裡。每個月的初一與十五，父親都會穿上古裝，以進行重要的儀式……寺廟位於一座被松樹和其他樹木環繞的小山丘上，我常常沿著山坡，朝著草坪跑下去，把風箏放上天空。」

中井非常尊敬他的父親，為有一位嚴格維護日本傳統的父親而自豪。神道教的成長環境或許影響了他的性格——中井是一位純粹主義者，他喜歡一切都清晰明確，並且堅持公平的原則，無論對人還是對事都是如此。這個態度從作品簡潔與純淨的線條和形狀裡體現出來。儘管他的 「打開」系列提供了似乎無窮無盡的變化，創造開闢空間和維度的可能性與經歷，從而發現被隱藏的顏色或形狀，但作品的整體效果仍然是清澈明瞭而非繁複晦澀的。

二次大戰結束時，中井17歲。這場戰爭無疑對他產生重大而深遠的影響。目睹二戰的恐怖，令他心情異常沉重，他說：「藝術是生命，不是死亡。如果你去打仗，你就必須殺人或讓自己被殺。我不喜歡這樣。」中井選擇了藝術，透過繪畫去感受自由，部分原因是為了從戰爭遺留的沉重感中尋求自由和平安，另外也是為了擺脫日本社會加諸的許多傳統束縛。他回憶道：「8月15日，和平來臨。到昨天為止，那些人還是服從的傳統主義信徒，卻突然變得現代、進步，渴求更多的自由和創新。」。1958年，他在日本與友人一同創立藝術團體「鐵雞會」。即便如此，他仍感到日本藝術界有太多掣肘，正如他所說：「……很少日本收藏家喜歡前衛藝術；人們想要傳統的、學術的和商業的藝術。」於是在1964年他離開了，去「追逐太陽」以尋找自由的感覺，而他找到了米蘭。

中井於1964年抵達米蘭，來到一個正在變化中的城市。在60年代，義大利基本上已經從二戰的災難中復蘇，並正經歷一場「經濟奇蹟」，在米蘭和義大利各地興起的各種前衛藝術運動也反映出當時的經濟盛況。中井很快就進入了被藝評家吉多．巴羅（Guido Ballo）所宣揚的 「新米蘭學派」圈子，這圈子亦與盧齊歐．封塔納（Lucio Fontana）所宣導的空間主義（Spazialismo）有所重疊。中井對盧齊歐．封塔納割裂的畫布與空間主義的概念非常感興趣。為了簡介空間主義的主要概念，在此引用盧齊歐．封塔納1951年在米蘭三年展上的演說：

「我們已放棄熟悉的藝術形式，並致力發展一種基於時間與空間統一的藝術……我們把藝術視為物理元素的總和：顏色、聲音、運動、時間和空間，彙集成一個物理和精神的整體。顏色作為空間的元素；聲音作為時間的元素；而運動則在空間和時間中展開。這就是空間主義藝術的基礎。」

受封塔納和其他與空間主義相關的藝術家啟發，中井自1965年底開始，便實驗使用木材進行創作，把木材切割成木片，並於1966年創造出第一件完整的「打開」作品。早於50年代，他就已經嘗試以更立體的方式作畫，用調色刀將油彩塗成既是很厚，但同時又很精確和銳利的圖層。遇到封塔納的作品，為中井的創作帶來突破，他找到了一直渴求的自由，其成果便是「打開」作品系列。異於封塔納的切割和刻畫，中井走得更遠，他直接切割木頭，從而創造出向四周空間和維度開放與展開的作品。從那時起，在他整個藝術生涯裡，中井一直以這種風格和方式創作。這並非說中井停滯不前，反之，他持續探索「打開」的不同可能，通過實驗不同的形狀、不同的開展方式，以及不同的顏色，來打開新的空間和維度。對於「打開」作品的發展過程，中井認為：

「我感覺到……有必要通過第三維度來表達自己……我嘗試過各種材料，直至我發現木材最適合我的感官。我很高興。這就是它了。」

是次於香港Art Central和Novalis Art Design展出橫跨1991至2011年間的「打開」系列，它們來自中井去世前的數年間。然而，這些作品對中井一生的創作均具有代表性。它們當中有些是呈生物形態的抽象形狀並繼而開展，從色彩中揭露出更多的秘密。另一些作品本身是單色的方形平面畫作，但開展出令人驚訝的顏色和形狀。在色彩方面，觀眾可能會注意在這一系列作品中，紅色的使用相當突出。紅色是中井最常使用的顏色，他喜歡紅色的活力和生機「能讓他感覺良好」。

有些藝評家認為，「打開」作品的折疊和展開動作有如日式折紙（Origami）。然而，必須注意的是，中井的作品是不能折疊的。或者說，他不認同它們為可折疊的作品。他本人曾堅定地表示：「它們不是可折疊的作品。我是在開闢空間。」中井只對 「打開」感興趣，而不涉及「關上」。 當然，兩種情況必須在作品中共存，但中井的作品之所以可以被關上再恢復到原來狀態，只是為了讓「打開」的過程能被再次體驗，讓打開新空間、新維度和新發現的經驗可以被反復享受。

有趣的是，他的作品常被拿來與日本和西方的影響比較。它們被比作教堂的祭壇畫，或東方的小神龕；有人認為它們的色彩具有日本特色，有些人則在鮮豔的色彩中看到義大利的感覺；有些人看到「花鳥風月」裡的動植物，呼應日本文化中強調大自然的傳統主題，而有些人卻看到西方建築的影響或生物形態。其實，這不是非此即彼的情況，就日本的影響而言，它並非刻意，而是基於中井在日本成長的經歷，理所當然的對他的藝術產生潛意識上的影響。他在日本長大，然後在米蘭生活了30年，之後再在1995至96年間返回日本。他的作品是自身生活經歷的綜合，融合在日本和意大利生活的經驗，因此它們同時展示東方和西方文化的痕跡，而且完美地融合在一起，形成了中井克己個人與藝術生活的的肖像。

中井克己一生追求自由，並在藝術中找到了它。透過「打開」的行為與作品，他與觀眾和後人分享自由開拓新發現的經驗。

SELECTED WORKS