On Kawara

Japanese conceptual artist noted for several series of works that test concepts of time and diaristic revelation. Kawara is celebrated for his meticulous approach to routine, repetition and documentation; the seemingly mundane details of his every-day life are recorded by his artworks, transforming their banality into an exercise in the perfection of self-discipline.

On January 4, 1966, Kawara began what was perhaps his best-known project, the Today series (sometimes known as the Date Paintings). For the project, on every day he was so inclined, Kawara made a monochromatic painting upon which in white paint he carefully painted the date on which the painting was made. He followed several rules: any painting not finished by midnight would be abandoned; each painting was accompanied by a container that included information about the artist’s experiences that day (e.g., snippets from newspapers); each painting was tailored to language, dating system, and punctuation conventions used in the city in which Kawara was making the painting (e.g. 2.DEZ.1976 was painted in Berlin). Kawara made more than 2,000 paintings in the series in more than 100 cities around the world.

Represented by Larkin Erdmann.