On Kawara

Japanese-born, New York-based On Kawara is one of the world's best-known Conceptual artists, a major international figure since the 1960s. Kawara's existence is documented solely through his daily art-making practice; best known are his Date Paintings (1965-ongoing), in which he methodically creates a single painting a day, always in the same size and with simply the date written upon it. This book is a chance for his followers to unravel more of the mystery of this cult figure.A unique feature of this book is the 'Tribute' section, to replace the Interview, which reflects the artist's lifelong commitment never to be personally documented in his own words. A collection of short statements by thirty individuals selected by Kawara - among them artists Lawrence Weiner and Dan Graham and cultural theorist Homi Bhabha - create an indirect 'portrait of the artist'. In his Survey, curator Jonathan Watkins examines the artist's long career, from his early figurative painting in the 1950s, to his later, text-based Conceptual art. Curator Ren+ Denizot analyses in his Focus a two-person exhibition combining Kawara's work with Alberto Giacometti's, revealing both artists' shared concern for the essence of human existence. The artist's interest in consciousness is reflected in a scientific essay he has selected for his Artist's Choice from the academic Journal of Consciousness Studies. In the Artist's Writings a series of handwritten love letters in an indecipherable code reflect the mix of the impersonal and the deeply humanistic that runs through his art.