The 1960s in Japan were a time of profound social change, political unrest, and student protests. The turbulent years of the postwar era inspired an artistic explosion, with the emergence of a revolutionary scene of avant-garde artists who pioneered many disciplines: experimental and erotic photography, “Angura” theater and underground street performances, apocalyptic butoh dance, surreal illustrations, and seminal graphic design.
Taking design cues from Japanese luminaries Yokoo Tadanori and Awazu Kiyoshi, Japan Art Revolution showcases more than six hundred captivating artworks, encompassing photographs, film stills, theater posters, and illustrations by visionary artists including Moriyama Daido, Hosoe Eiko, Araki Nobuyoshi, Ishiuchi Miyako, Tanaami Keiichi, Hijikata Tatsumi, Ohno Kazuo, Terayama Shuji, Tenjo Sajiki, Kawada Kikuji, Neo-Dada Organizers, Hi-Red Center, Hanaga Mitsutoshi, Nakahira Takuma, and Tanabe Santaro, to name a few of the artists featured in this book.
Drawing on extensive interviews with these iconic artists, this comprehensive publication offers readers a nuanced understanding of the thriving world of Japanese avant-garde art, complemented by insightful texts and quotes from esteemed experts, curators, academics, and archivists.
Reviews
Japan Art Revolution is particularly interesting given that it showcases the back and forth between many of the artists featured in its pages… [It] provides a marvelous overview of what Japan’s most cutting-edge artists would produce. The illustrations are complemented by a wealth of quotes either by the artists themselves or by a number of scholars. As can be expected, the artists talking about themselves and their work yields in much insight into why things look the way they look. The experience of living under frequent bombings during World War 2 and the later occupation play very prominent roles.
— Conscientious Photography Magazine
This riotous collection… revels in the wild world of 1960s and ’70s Japanese counterculture… Much of the work highlighted is politically charged, including striking photographs of Hiroshima’s aftermath and student protests against the Vietnam War. But there’s also plenty of room for the playful, the sexual, and the bizarre… The book’s stylish, pop art-inspired layouts set a funky and edgy mood, and the text enriches the art rather than crowding it out. The result is an energetic, eye-popping peek into the history of the Asian avant-garde.
— Publishers Weekly 2025 Holiday Gift Guide
Contributors
Amélie Ravalec
Author
Amélie Ravalec is a Parisian film director, producer, and colorist. She directed her first documentary, Paris/Berlin: 20 Years of Underground Techno (2012), at the age of sixteen, winning the Festival Pick Award at the Sydney Fringe Festival. She went on to direct multiple films on underground arts, including two documentaries on the Japanese avant-garde. Her films have been shown at cinemas, festivals, museums, and cultural institutions across fifty countries, and acquired by TV networks including ARTE, Sky Arts UK, and ORF Austria.
