On Kawara: Early Works & Date Paintings
David Zwirner, Paris, FR & London, UK
On Kawara: Early Works & Date Paintings
David Zwirner, Paris, FR & London, UK
David Zwirner is presenting two concurrent exhibitions of renowned Japanese artist On Kawara in Paris and London. Organized in collaboration with the One Million Years Foundation, established by the artist, the exhibitions mark the gallery’s first presentations of Kawara’s work since his death in 2014 in a truly prodigious manner. Until January 25, 2025, On Kawara: Early Works at David Zwirner in Paris presents a series of remarkable and lesser-known works by On Kawara from the 1950s, while in London, On Kawara: Date Paintings showcases a series of iconic date paintings, illustrating the remarkable breadth and depth of On Kawara’s artistic oeuvre—two must-see exhibitions the end and start the year in style.
At 108 Rue Vieille du Temple in Paris, On Kawara: Early Works takes on the formative years of On Kawara’s career with a rare showcase of four paintings created in Tokyo during the years 1955 and 1956. These works stand as pivotal artifacts of a post-war Japan, reflecting the existential tumult and the innovative spirit of a recovering nation. During this period, Kawara engaged with the avant-garde communities that sought to redefine Japanese art and culture amidst the lingering shadows of the war. The works displayed, characterized by their uniquely shaped canvases, mark some of the earliest explorations of this form in the postwar era, predating similar trends in Western art by several years by the likes of Frank Stella or Kenneth Noland.
Kawara’s early paintings are intense and evocative, with a palpable sense of urgency and a desire to break free from past constraints. The canvas is approached as a dynamic field where space seems to collapse and expand simultaneously. These works exhibit robust chromatic and formal experimentation, setting the stage for his later conceptual rigor. By adopting irregular outlines and manifesting an intensely personal expression, Kawara’s early works serve as a poignant statement in which one finds the anxieties and aspirations of a society in transition.
Meanwhile, at 24 Grafton Street in London, On Kawara: Date Paintings offers an in-depth look at Kawara’s renowned Today series—an ambitious conceptual project that the artist pursued from 1966 until his death in 2014. This series consists of minimalist paintings that feature nothing but the date they were created, meticulously rendered in a precise typographic style designed by Kawara. Each piece is a meditation on the temporal dimension of human existence, encapsulating the exactness of a single day within the uniformity of a painted canvas. If a painting was not completed by midnight of the day it was started, it was destroyed, emphasizing the fleeting nature of time and the rigor of his artistic process.
This exhibition features twenty-four paintings, including works from nearly every year of the series run, showcasing Kawara’s systematic engagement with the days of his life as a form of artistic practice. Notable pieces include a diptych created in Mexico City in 1968 and large-scale works that highlight the formal and conceptual diversity within the constraints he set for himself. This series not only chronicles Kawara’s personal journey through time but also reflects broader philosophical inquiries into the nature of existence and the role of art in capturing and responding to the immutable flow of time.
For more information, please visit David Zwirner’s website here.
Last Updated on November 28, 2024
Sylvia Walker
Sylvia Walker (b. 1986, US) is an art historian, essayist, art critic, and curator. After contributing to numerous publications, and curating exhibitions in the United States of America and beyond, she currently works as the assistant director of Contemporary Art Issue (CAI).
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