Artists

HORI Kosai

In 1967 he entered Tama Art University, and in the same year with the assistance of his peers he staged the performance piece “Self-Burial Ceremony”, with which his career as an artist began.He was also active in the Japanese student demonstrations of the late 1960s, from within which he became one of the founders, and subsequently leader, of a movement known as Bijutsuka Kyoto Kaigi (Artists Joint-Struggle Council) or “Bikyoto”, which sought to interrogate the institutionalized nature of art. The works of his early career tended to overlap with the activities of that movement, created as pieces questioning the foundations of art itself. With the aim of breaking through the boundaries of modernist painting, such works took a retroactive approach to the history of painting and become a process of searching for its origins. Departing from this source, Hori traced the development of painting’s formation within Eastern nations and within Japan - and in so doing his own personal pictorial space took form. Meanwhile, he also began zealously developing installation and performances pieces resonating with the many issues and phenomena emerging “on the borderlines” of the society and art of “here and now”. His works have been shown at numerous international exhibitions, including the 1977 Paris Biennale and the 1984 Venice Biennale.


1947 Born in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, Japan


1967 Entered the department of Painting of Tama Art University, Majoring in Oil Painting


1969 Organized Bikyoto, Council of artists for a United Front.


2002 – Appointed a professor at Tama Art University


2010 Established the Akibatamabi21 alternative space managed by Tama Art University and served as its founding producer (−2012)


2014- Retired from Tama Art University, and is currently an Professor Emeritus


Solo Exhibitions

2021


“Touching so close and having an opennessMizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan


 “To remember-who am I ? Hori Kosai+Hori Erize” √K Contemporary, Tokyo, Japan


“Kosai Hori Retrospective” √K Contemporary, Tokyo, Japan


 


2019


“To remember-who am I ? Hori Kosai+Hori Erize” Maruki Gallery For The Hiroshima Panels, Saitama


“Drawing” Hanaasagi, Tokyo, Japan


 


2016


“HORI KOSAI”, Gallery 604, Busan, South Korea


 


2015


“The Garden of the Fall and Rebirth”, Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo


“The Garden of the Fall and Rebirth”, 3331Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo


 


2014


“Naked Place — HORI Kosai”, Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo


 


2011


“Naked Place”, Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo


 


2010


SPACE HONGJJE, Seoul, South Korea GALLERY604, Busan, South Korea


 


2008


GALLERY A story, Seoul / Busan, South Korea


 


2007


Gallery Yamaguchi, Tokyo ( also ’80-’82, ’85, ’88, ’92, ’94, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’03, ’05)


 


2006


Okabe Prints & Publishing House Gallery, Kanagawa


 


2005


Atelier Rika, Kochi (’95, ’00)


 


2004


“Retrospective”, Takaoka City Museum of Art, Toyama Gallery Ikeda, Tokyo


 


2000


“Wind, Air and Memory”, Kuman Museum, Ehime


 


1999


Gallery Te, Tokyo


 


1998


Akutsu Gallery, Gunma


 


1996


“Eyes of the Wind”, Takaoka City Museum of Art, Toyama


Muramatsu Gallery, Tokyo (’82-’84, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93)


 


1995


Gallery NOW, Toyama (’92) Gallery Ueda, Tokyo (’90-’93)


 


1994


Gallery Emon, Aichi


 


1992


Gallery Mori, Ehime Art Space Mauve, Hyogo


 


1991


“Recent Works of Kosai Hori”, National Museum of Art, Osaka


Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo Yano Art Gallery, Tottori Forum Yu, Nagano (’87)


Galerie Nane Stern, Paris, France (’84)


 


1990


Lee Kang-So& Kosai Hori, Seam Art Gallery, Seoul, South Korea


 


1980


Komai Gallery, Tokyo


 


1978


Maki Gallery, Tokyo (’75)


 


1977


Gallery U, Aichi


 


1976


Shirakaba Gallery, Tokyo


 


1973


Tamura Gallery, Tokyo Tokiwa gallery, Tokyo


 


1972


Nirenoki Gallery, Tokyo Atelier Shinon, Tokyo


 


1971


Space Love Hair, Tokyo


Group Exhibitions

2023


“World in Balance : Art in Japan from the postwar to the present” (AWT / Focus) Okura Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan


 


2022


“Grasping at Clouds: Works from the Hara Museum and the Hara Rokuro Collections” Hara Museum ARC, Gunma, Japan


“MOMAS Collection” The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan


“Various Lives” Karuizawa New Art Museum, Nagano, Japan


“Collection Exhibition” Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan


 


2021


“Fifty years of Printmaking at Tama Art University” Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo, Japan


 


2020


“Made in Fuchu: twenty years of open studio programs” Fuchu Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan


 


2019


“Special exhibition: After YUSATSU—Noboru Takayama×Noboru Tsubaki×Katsuhiko Hibino× Hiroshi Fuji×Kosai Hori” 3331 Art Fair 2019, 3331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo


 


2018


“1968: Art in the turbulent Age”, Chiba City Museum of Art, travelling to Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Fukuoka, Shizuoka City Museum of Art (-2019)


“New Wave : Japanese Contemporary Art of the 1980s”, The National Museum of Art, Osaka


“A View of Prints: The Trajectory of the Gendai Hanga Center”, The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama


 


2017


“A Trip through the Tokyo Station Gallery Collection: from Railway Art to Picasso” Tokyo Station Gallery


“Collection Exhibition”, Kurobe City Museum, Toyama


 


2016


“Busan Biennale”, Busan, South Korea


“Water”, Kuragaike Art Salon, Aichi


 


2013


“Minimal | Post Minimal – The Contemporary Japanese Art from 1970s”, Utsunomiya Museum of Art, Tochigi


 


2012


“Aizu Urushi Art Festival”, Fukushima


 


2011


“Elpis-Sky of Hope”, TOKYO DESIGNRS WEEK2011, Tokyo


 


2010


“Contemporary Art of China and Japan”, Busan Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea


 


2009


“Towards Objet – Transformation of Book World”, Urawa Art Museum, Saitama


 


2007


“Attitude 2007”, Kumamoto Museum of Contemporary Art, Kumamoto


“Perspective of Contemporary Paintings”, Tokyo Station Gallery


 


2006


“The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2006”, Niigata


 


2005


“Himing 2005”, Himi City, Toyama


 


2004


“Water level of Images”, Toyota City Museum of Art, Aichi


“Intercross of 4 Critics”, Tama Fine Arts University Museum, Tokyo


 


2003


“The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2003”, Niigata


 


2002


“Attitude”, Kumamoto Museum of Contemporary Art


 


2001


“Century City”, Tate Modern, London, U.K.


 


1999


“Global Conceptualism”, Queens Museum of Art, New York, U.S.A.


 


1998


“Busan International Contemporary Art Festival”, Busan Museum of Art, South Korea


“Aspects of line”, The National Museum of Art, Osaka


 


1997


“Point of Contact – South Korean, Chinese, and Japanese Contemporary Art Exhibition”, Taegu & Culture Hall, South Korea


 


1996


“An Exhibition of 50 Contemporary Japanese Artists: A Presentiment of the 21Century”, Nabio Museum of Art, Osaka


 


1995


“Invitation to Abstract Act”, The National Museum of Art, Osaka


“Circulating Currents: Japanese and Korean Contemporary art”, The Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Nagoya City Art Museum, Aichi


“Japan Today”, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, U.S.A. traveled to Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden


“About Lines: Non-existing Modernism and Invisible Realism”, Itabashi Art Museum, Tokyo


“Tsubaki-kai Exhibition 1995”, Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo


“Japanese Culture: The Fifty Postwar Years”, Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo, traveled to Hiroshima, Hyogo and Fukuoka


“Vision from Memory”, Hara Museum ARC, Gunma


 


1994


“Landscape on the Border”, Rias Ark Museum of Art, miyagi


“Creativity in Asian Art Now”, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art


 


1993


“Tsubaki-kai Exhibition 1993”, Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo


“Ark of Art”, The Museum of Art, Kochi


 


1992


“Avanguardie Giapponese degli Anmi 70”, Galleia Comunale d’arte Moderna di Bologna, Italy


“The 1st International Contemporary Art Fair Japan”, Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall, Kanagawa


 


1991


“Painting of the Showa Era: Part3”, The Miyagi Museum of Art


“Contemporary Art 7: The Mind of Japan”, The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu


 


1989


“Europaria Japan 89”, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent, Ghent, Belgium


“The Contemporary Art Exhibition of Japan 1989: Prospects of Contemporary Art-A Celebration of Painting”, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, traveled to Kyoto Municipal Art Museum


 


1987


“Paintings 1977-1987”, The National Museum of Art, Osaka


“Toyama Now ’87”, The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama


 


1986


“Contemporary Japanese Art”, Taipei Art Museum, Taiwan


 


1985


“Exchange d’Art Contemporain, Tokyo- Paris”, Yurakucho Asahi Gallery, Tokyo


 


1984


“41st Venice Biennale”, Venice, Italy


 


1983


“International de Arte Valparaiso, 1983”, Valparaiso, Chile


 


1982


“International Jugend triennale + Meister der Zeichnung”, Nuremberg, Germany


“Arteder ’82-Muestra Internacional de Obra Grafica”, Bilbao, Spain


 


1980


“1st Hara Annual Perspective for ’80”, Hara Museum of Art, Tokyo


 


1978


“Artists Today 1978”, Yokohama City Gallery, Kanagawa


“Tokyo Geijutsu-4 1978”, Tamura Gallery, Tokyo


 


1977


“Tokyo- Bay area Exchange of Contemporary Art”, 80 Langton Street Gallery, San Francisco, U.S.A.


“10th Biennale de Paris”, Musee d’art Moderne de la vile de Paris, France


 


1976


“10th Tokyo Biennale for Prints”, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo traveled to The National Museum of Modern Art


 


1975


“Affair & Practice-Why it-“, Contemporary Culture Center, Tokyo


“The 10th Japan Art Festival”, The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo, Japan, traveled to Australia and New Zealand


 


1973


“Artists Today 1973”, Yokohama city Gallery, Kanagawa


“Kyoto Biennale”, Kyoto Municipal Art Museum


“Affair &Practice by 12 Artists”, Pinar Gallery, Tokyo


 


1969


“The 9th Contemporary Art Exhibition of Japan”, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, traveled to Kyoto Municipal Art Museum


 


1967


“Self-Burial Ceremony”, On the Ginza street, Tokyo


Public Collection

Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo


Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki, Okayama


The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama


Tochigi Prefectural Museum of fine Arts, Tochigi


Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Hyogo


Takamatsu City Museum of Art, Kagawa


The Japan Foundation


The National Museum of art, Osaka


Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo


Saito Memorial Kawaguchi Museum of Contemporary Art, Saitama


The Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama


The Museum of Art, Kochi


Urawa Art Museum, Saitama


Ome City museum, Tokyo


Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo


Takaoka Art Museum, Toyama


Iwaki City Art Museum, Fukushima


Chiba city Museum of Art, Chiba


Utsunomiya City Museum of Art, Tochigi


Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art


Kurobe City Art Museum, Toyama


Niigata City Art Museum


Shiseido Art House, Shizuoka


Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art


Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto


Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi


Yokosuka Museum of Art, Kanagawa


Tokyo Station Gallery