The Saruhashi Studio is located in Otsuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and was once the studio of the painter Nakanishi Natsuuki. Currently, it serves as an archive for the Butoh dancer Tatsumi Hijikata’s materials. This committee, while commemorating the activities and achievements of these two prominent avant-garde artists in Japan, conducts performance activities in collaboration with supporters using this facility as a base. Additionally, the committee aims to utilize this spacious venue as a studio for dance creation, workshops, live events, and more, contributing to its diverse and widespread use.
HIJIKATA NAKANISHI Memorial Saruhashi Studio Steering Committee
This project began by focusing on avant-garde activities in the 1960s, including the happening movement in New York represented by Allan Kaprow and pioneering happenings in Japan, led by the Butoh dancer Tatsumi Hijikata. By exploring the avant-garde performances of the 1960s, particularly through recorded footage of Tatsumi Hijikata’s performances, the project introduced experimental expressions in dance and bodily movement pursued by contemporary dancers in Japan in the 2020s. This exploration unfolded in two presentations in July and October.
In addition, during October to November, Mexican dancers who hosted the “Tatsumi Hijikata Exhibition” in Mexico were invited, showcasing Mexico’s distinctive avant-garde dance through live performances and videos. The project, with its focus on the discovery of vivid bodily expressions and the pursuit of diverse styles of expression, became an endeavor that could discover breadth and possibilities through creation and public practices at its base.
Tateishi Yumi
HIJIKATA NAKANISHI Memorial Saruhashi Studio Steering Committee
saruhashisoko@gmail.com
Atelier Q Art, Setagaya City,Tokyo