“I always think: ‘Canvas, get dirty. Embrace the stains from my unconscious.’ Surely, that would bring me joy.”

— Yasuo Sumi, “I Am Content to Be the Laziest Man in the World,” Gutai, no. 6, 1967

Whitestone Ginza New Gallery is pleased to present ‘Yasuo Sumi and Gutai’.

Yasuo Sumi (1925–2015) was working as a secondary school teacher in Osaka when, at the recommendation of his colleague Shozo Shimamoto, he exhibited at the 7th Ashiya City Exhibition in 1954. This marked the beginning of his involvement with the Gutai Art Association, which he joined the following year and remained a member of until its dissolution in 1972.

Working with everyday tools such as combs, geta (traditional wooden sandles), abacuses, and vibrators, Sumi developed a distinctive practice through spontaneous actions that transcended conscious intention and bodily control. Splattering paint, the sound of paint striking the surface of a bangasa (traditional Japanese umbrella) used as a canvas, hands stained with paint, the unconscious act of wiping the canvas, and feet blackened with paint—all were integral to his artistic process. Sumi maintained that “dirtiness” was essential to the expression of beauty. For him, these familiar tools, whose actions could not be fully controlled, were indispensable to embodying the essence and aesthetic of his artistic expression: dirtiness.

Alongside Sumi’s works, this exhibition presents works by early members of the Gutai Art Association: Shozo Shimamoto, Chiyu Uemae, Atsuko Tanaka, and Sadamasa Motonaga. Through material experimentation, physical actions, and unconventional methods of production, Gutai artists continually explored new possibilities of expression while challenging established notions of art. By examining the richness of their diverse creative practices and the contrasts between their approaches, the exhibition highlights the distinctive qualities and appeal of Sumi’s artistic vision.