The Shozo Shimamoto Association was founded in Italy and Japan in 2007 by Rosanna Chiessi, Laura Montanari and Giuseppe Morra with the aim of promoting and supporting the artistic research of Shozo Shimamoto, not only through the production of catalogues, videos and documentaries, but also by holding some of the performances that have made him world famous. Along with this artistic production, the Shozo Shimamoto Association has engaged in a critical and historiographical study of the Master’s work, as well as the organisation and management of a general archive, also thanks to the help of Andrea Mardegan working in Japan.
I Nostri Video
Art is Astonishment
When I say that art is astonishment, people react with surprise. We tend to think of art as something aesthetically beautiful, the fruit of delicate labour, but I would say that this is truer of craftwork. On the other hand, art, or the artistic gesture, consists in astounding the public. Obviously, “astounding” does not mean surprising by sudden and brash gestures.
We are said to be living in the information age. A huge amount of information is frenetically exchanged, and people delude themselves into thinking that obtaining just one more piece of information will give them greater success at work. Having said that, when we concentrate on the information we have before our eyes, it is clear that it is not possible to see what lies beyond. Just like in photography, if we focus on an object in the foreground, the background will be out of focus.
