On Kawara: Conceptual Art and Time

On Kawara: Exploring Conceptual Art and Time

On Kawara (1932–2014) was a Japanese conceptual artist renowned for his profound exploration of chronological time and its function as a measure of human existence. Living in SoHo, New York City, from 1965 until his death, Kawara developed a distinct and highly nuanced form of artistic expression. He became a key figure in the conceptual art movement that emerged in New York in the 1960s, creating a significant body of work organized into discrete series that together form a meditative examination of time and place. This article will help students understand On Kawara's unique approach to art, breaking down his key series and their meaning.

On Kawara's Life and Artistic Journey

Born On Kawara (河原温) in Kariya, Japan, on December 24, 1932 (though officially recorded as January 2, 1933), he passed away on July 10, 2014. After graduating from Kariya High School in 1951, Kawara moved to Tokyo. His early life saw him travel extensively:

• 1959-1962: Lived in Mexico, where his father directed an engineering company. During this time, he painted, attended art school, and explored the country, a period formative to his later work.
• 1962-1964: Moved back and forth between New York and Paris.
• 1965: Settled permanently in New York City, where he resided intermittently until his death.

Kawara was part of an international generation of conceptual artists emerging in the mid-1960s. This movement aimed to strip art of personal emotion, reducing it to pure information or idea and downplaying the art object itself. Alongside artists like Lawrence Weiner and Joseph Kosuth, Kawara gave special prominence to language in his work.

The "Today" Series: Date Paintings Explained

Kawara's most iconic and extensive body of work is the "Today" series, often referred to as his Date Paintings. Initiated on January 4, 1966, this series consists of nearly 3,000 paintings created in more than 112 cities worldwide, a project designed to continue until his death.

Characteristics of Date Paintings

• Subject Matter: Each painting solely features the date on which it was executed.
• Language and Grammar: The date is always documented in the language and grammatical conventions of the country where it was painted (e.g., "26. 1995" from Reykjavík, "13 JUIN 2006" from Monte Carlo). When the local language doesn't use the Roman alphabet, Esperanto is used (e.g., "6 AŬG. 1993" from Tokyo).
• Medium and Size: Executed in Liquitex on canvas, the paintings adhere to one of eight standard sizes, ranging from 8x10 inches up to four by six feet, always in a horizontal orientation.
• Exceptions: Three notable exceptions, roughly five by seven feet, were created on July 16, 20, and 21, 1969, coinciding with the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
• Execution: Dates are hand-painted with precision, centered in white lettering against a solid background. Early paintings often featured bold colors, while later ones tended to be darker. Kawara meticulously applied four coats of paint for the ground, rubbing down each layer once dry. He eschewed stencils, hand-drawing characters, initially a sans-serif Gill Sans, later Futura.
• Destruction Policy: If Kawara was unable to complete a painting on the day it was started, he immediately destroyed it.
• Documentation: Unexhibited Date Paintings are housed in custom cardboard boxes lined with a clipping from a local newspaper (often The New York Times) from the city where the painting was made.

The Journals and One Hundred Years Calendar

Each Date Painting was registered in a journal and marked on a "One Hundred Years Calendar."

• Journals: Kawara created 48 journals, recording details like the painting's size, color (a swatch of the paint mixture was glued in), and the newspaper headline from its box.
• Calendar: The calendar used colored dots to indicate days a painting was made (green for one, red for more than one) and tracked the number of days since the artist's birth. Kawara systematically marked each day of his life with a yellow dot on these calendars.

Other Notable Series and Works by On Kawara

Beyond the Date Paintings, Kawara developed several other series that continued his exploration of time, language, and existence.

Paris-New York Drawings

Between 1962 and 1964, Kawara created about 200 Paris-New York Drawings. These works featured minimalist motifs such as stripes and grids, reminiscent of Agnes Martin's style, and some depicted installation pieces with room-filling string networks.

One Million Years

"One Million Years" is a monumental series consisting of two parts:

• One Million Years [Past]: Dedicated to "all those who have lived and died," it lists each year over an entire millennium from 998,031 BC. Started in 1970, it took two years to complete.
• One Million Years [Future]: Addressed to "the last one," this part began in 1980 and was written over eighteen years, finishing at 1,001,997 AD.

Together, these volumes account for two million years. The work is sometimes performed aloud by pairs of male and female volunteers, reading dates from each list. The first audio presentation took place at Dia Center for the Arts in New York in 1993, and continuous public readings have been held globally, including a seven-day and seven-night event in Trafalgar Square, London, in 2004.

The "I Went," "I Met," "I Got Up," and "I Read" Series

These series document aspects of Kawara's daily life through mundane yet profound communicative acts:

• "I Went" and "I Met": Postcards sent to friends detailing his movements and encounters.
• "I Got Up": From 1968 to 1979, he sent approximately 1,500 postcards, each rubber-stamped with the time he got up, the date, location, and the recipient's name and address. This repetitive gesture was juxtaposed with his extensive global travels and irregular hours.
• "I Read": Another series of artist books (6 volumes) documenting his readings.
• "I Am Still Alive": Telegrams sent to friends and neighbors bearing only this message, a stark affirmation of existence.

Pure Consciousness

In 1998, Kawara initiated "Pure Consciousness," a traveling exhibition where he lent seven Date Paintings (January 1 to January 7, 1997) to kindergartens and schools worldwide. These paintings were displayed in classrooms, bearing dates within the lifespans of the children present.

Exhibitions and Legacy of On Kawara

On Kawara participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout his career, cementing his place in art history. He exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1976 and documenta in Kassel multiple times. His work was included in seminal conceptual art surveys like "Information" at The Museum of Modern Art, New York (1970). A critically acclaimed, career-spanning exhibition, "On Kawara—Silence," was organized by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2015, marking the first full representation of his practice since 1964.

Kawara's Date Paintings have achieved significant prices in the art market, with one selling for almost $2 million at Christie's New York in 2014, setting an auction record for his work. His influence extends to contemporary artists who have created homages and reinterpretations of his process-oriented works, from software-based updates to conceptual art projects. His works are held in prestigious museum collections worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, and Tate.

On Kawara's artistic practice, with its focus on the meticulous documentation of time and self, offers a unique perspective on human existence and the nature of art itself. His work continues to provoke thought and inspire new generations of artists and thinkers.

On Kawara: Common Student Questions (FAQ)

What is On Kawara known for in art?

On Kawara is best known for his conceptual art, particularly his "Date Paintings" from the "Today" series, which consist solely of the date on which the painting was made. He also created series like "One Million Years," "I Got Up" postcards, and "I Am Still Alive" telegrams, all meditating on time and existence.

What is the meaning behind On Kawara's Date Paintings?

On Kawara's Date Paintings explore the passage of time, the artist's existence within it, and the concept of "now." By meticulously documenting each day, he turned the abstract concept of time into a concrete, repeatable artistic act. The accompanying newspaper clippings and journals further contextualize each moment, making the paintings a record of both personal and global time.

How did On Kawara's art reflect conceptualism?

On Kawara's art is a prime example of conceptualism because it prioritizes the idea or concept behind the artwork over the aesthetic object itself. The simple, repetitive nature of his work, the use of language, and the emphasis on process and documentation (like the destruction of unfinished paintings) all align with conceptual art's goal of stripping art of emotion and reducing it to information. For more on conceptual art, see Conceptual art.

Where did On Kawara live and work?

On Kawara was born in Kariya, Japan, and after early travels including Mexico, Paris, and New York, he settled in SoHo, New York City, in 1965, where he lived until his death in 2014. He created his Date Paintings and other works in over 112 cities worldwide, reflecting his global travels while maintaining New York as his base.

What are some other significant works by On Kawara besides the Date Paintings?

Besides the "Today" series, On Kawara's significant works include "One Million Years" (a series of books listing past and future years, often performed aloud), the "I Went," "I Met," "I Got Up," and "I Read" series of postcards and artist books, and the "I Am Still Alive" telegrams. These all contribute to his overarching theme of documenting time and personal existence.