Noriyuki Haraguchi was an internationally renowned artist who rose to prominence in the late 1960s. He was a leading figure of Mono-ha ('School of Things') and Post-mono-ha. His paintings and installations engaged with political and environmental issues using a post-minimalist visual language, expressing a precise attentiveness to their materials and spatial contexts.
Read MoreHaraguchi studied at Nihon University in Tokyo in the 1960s, amidst student protests against the Vietnam War and U.S. military presence in Japan. Haraguchi's interest in industrial materials emerged from childhood memories of military aircrafts at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, where he grew up.
Haraguchi's practice focused on minimalist paintings, sculptures, and installations that incorporated materials associated with militaries and heavy industry, including concrete, steel, and rubber.
Haraguchi's sculptural works often recreated pieces of jet tails and warplanes, such as Airpipe C (1969). His iconic sculpture A-4E Skyhawk (1968–69) is a full-scale reproduction of the eponymous U.S. Navy fighter aircraft. This work, along with other early works such as the 'Ships' series (1963–65), Tsumu 147 (Freight Car) (1966), and the 'Air Pipes' series (1968–69), were concerned with conflict and industrial materials.
Haraguchi's paintings often incorporate polyurethane, a material more commonly found in places such as hospitals and factories than in art at the time. His compositions are understated and abstract, with colour playing a dominant role.
Haraguchi is known for his 'Oil Pool' installations. Oil Pool (1971) comprised a giant steel pool filled with oil waste, with the still surface of the oil reflecting the work's surroundings. A later version, Mind and Matter (1977) was made for documenta 6 in Kassel in 1977, where Haraguchi was the first Japanese artist to present work. The installation was later acquired by the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. The artist returned to oil as a medium in many of his subsequent works. Oil Pool (2020), made for his solo exhibition at √K Contemporary, Tokyo, (Noriyuki Haraguchi, wall to wall, 2020), was also the first work of the series to be made using an aluminum container.
The title piece of the exhibition, wall to wall, featured a canvas laid in front of broken mortar. Together with the oil pool installation, the works capture some of the mystery and magnetism of his practice.
Since the 1960s, Haraguchi has exhibited in solo and group shows across Japan, the U.S. and Europe.
Select solo exhibitions include wall to wall Noriyuki Haraguchi, wall to wall, √K Contemporary Tokyo (2020); Substance and Motion: HARAGUCHI Noriyuki, Asia Art Center, Taipei (2019); Continuity and Practice: Oil Pool, Plan B, Tokyo (2018); Noriyuki Haraguchi, Fergus McCaffrey, New York (2015); Noriyuki Haraguchi, Kanazawa College of Art, Kanazawa (2013); Ship 60's & Work on Paper, Kamakura Gallery, Kanagawa (2012); Double Tone, Miyake Fine Art, Tokyo (2012); Noriyuki Haraguchi, Yokosuka Museum of Art, Kanagawa (2011).
Haraguchi's work has been included in group exhibitions at galleries and museums including Asia Art Center, Taipei (2021); Tate, London (2016); Art Base Momoshima, Onomichi (2014); Seoul Museum of Art (2013); Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo (2012); Museum of Modern Art, New York (2012).
Amy Lewis | Ocula | 2022
