Tsuyoshi Anzai in conversation with Dr Dean Kenning

On the occasion of his artist talk, Tsuyoshi Anzai will discuss his ‘Jailhouse Locke’ exhibition with Dr Dean Kenning, Lecturer at Central Saint Martins and Research Fellow at Kingston School of Art. Anzai’s works pose questions about the “thereness” of everyday items; the title of the show takes inspiration from a wide range of philosophical ideas- most importantly, the prisoners of Plato’s Cave and the founder of empiricism John Locke- that prompted Anzai to investigate and disrupt the way we unconsciously and passively perceive “representation”.

For example, in the series of works ‘distance’ (2016- ), Anzai created a devices that, using the mechanism of a camera obscura, enables viewers to see an object as an illusory video image, although the object is in fact in front of them. The artist’s intention, to put under scrutiny the dualism between representation and interpretation, is also explored in the paintings ‘TBD’, where Anzai removes the illustrated objects from any context, leaving the viewer free to focus on their pure form.

During the talk, the artist will present his creative process, and how he started building simple-structured machines with unusual combinations of everyday items, with the intent of redefining the connection between their form/purpose when they are used as components of machines. Breaking free of what the artist defines as the “modern disease of the subject/object distinction created by Descartes”, Anzai’s works challenge the visitors to look beyond simplifications and into the intertwined complexities of our modern world.

Speakers:

Tsuyoshi Anzai (b.1987) specializes in kinetic art and video. He creates simple-structured machines by making impromptu combinations of everyday items, exploring the relationships between humans and objects. He received a Bachelor in Music in 2009 and a Master in Film and New Media in 2011, both from Tokyo University of the Arts. He participated in the artist residency program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from 2015 to 2017. Anzai has had several solo exhibitions, including Shadows Cast Shadows (2018), Plaza North, Saitama, Japan; Origins Originated from Originative Originals (2014), Chimera-Project, Budapest, Hungary. Anzai’s work has also been included in group shows in Korea, United States and in his native Japan, for example at the Kawasaki City Museum. Anzai won a Bursary Award from the Royal Society of Sculptors in 2015.

Dr Dean Kenning is an artist and writer. Dean is currently Research Fellow at Kingston School of Art and teaches Fine Art at Central St Martins. He is also a member of the Capital Drawing Group and the Social Morphology Research Unit. Dean’s artworks range from kinetic sculptures to videos and diagrams, often employing DIY and autodidactic methods and modes of representation to express compulsive states and to explore political and philosophical material. His most recent solo exhibition was at Piper Keys (2018) and he has exhibited internationally in group shows including at the ICA (2015), Greene Naftali (2017) and BAK (2013). He has also published articles in journals such as Third Text, Art Monthly and Mute, including on the politics of art and art education.  

Event part of the exhibition: Jailhouse Locke by Tsuyoshi Anzai 7 November-5 December 2018, Monday–Friday 9.30am–5pm, Admission free

Private View: Tuesday 6 November 2018, 6-8pm 

Admission free, booking essential at:

http://dajf.org.uk/exhibitions/jailhouse-locke-by-tsuyoshi-anzai/artist-talk-tsuyoshi-anzai-on-jailhouse-locke

Image: distance, 2018, Installation View from “Shadows Cast Shadows”, Plaza North, Saitama, Japan © Tsuyoshi Anzai