From Romantic localism to a new aesthetics of place - Rethinking locality via the example of the Neo Mingei movement -

Abstract

In this paper, the author aims to rethink locality in the context of art. While the concept of borderless art is clichéd, the widely held idea that art must have a locality is also limiting. Histories of art (e.g., Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, and English art histories) are often accepted without the slightest doubt. Surely, however, this acceptance brings with it the risk of confusing cultural boundaries with political ones. Such an ideology stems from a sort of Romanticism, in which the essence of art is attributed to the supposed land of origin. The relationship between local identity and artistic identity, however, is not so straightforward. It is this relationship that the author will examine here via a discussion about Mingei, a modern Japanese design movement that emerged in the first half of the 20th century, and the more recent movement Neo Mingei, as promoted by the contemporary artist Toshio Matsui. What is the relationship between the land and the artistic production? What sort of meaning is bestowed when an artist or a designer creates work in a local context? These are the questions which the author will try to answer. The key to finding the answers lies in the distinction between the actual placement of the artwork and the aesthetic perception of the locality of the work. It is argued that the locality should not be a pretext for the artist or craftsman to affirm his authenticity.