Tomb of Chance 1974-76

ARAKAWA Shusaku (Aichi/1936-) oil, acrylic, pencil, collage (circular protractor) on canvas

Arakawa participated in the founding of "Neo-Dada" in 1960 and was one of the main artists responsible for Japan's Anti-Art movement. After moving to the US in 1961, Arakawa became interested in investigating through his own insights the meaning of this world - a world full of unease and isolation - and began to create "diagrammatic paintings," combining directional arrows, diagrams, and words into compositions. In these works, Arakawa minimized the use of representational images and colors, displaying instead pure philosophical and mathematical models. The main intention of Arakawa's works was to present a scheme whereby the "sudden interruption of life = death" brought about by "chance" could be overcome. Therefore, the title of this particular work, "Tomb of Chance," might be regarded as an appropriate name for the entirety of the artist's oeuvre.