Exhibition Interview — Susumu Shingu: Elated!

Susumu Shingu: Elated!, on view June 20-August 10, will be the first summer exhibition to be held at Japan Society Gallery in 14 years. In this interview, Senior Gallery Director Michele Bambling and Senior Research Associate Naomi Kuromiya share their thoughts on acclaimed artist Susumu Shingu (b. 1937), who is known throughout the world for his large-scale kinetic sculptures and installations, as well as the process behind curating an indoor exhibition that reflects the broader forces of nature.

Why is Japan Society relaunching summer exhibitions after all these years?

Michele:

Part of my work in revitalizing Japan Society Gallery is keeping the exhibition space from going dark over the summer. One of my first objectives since joining Japan Society was putting together a five-year exhibition plan that includes summer exhibitions. For the exhibition plan overall, I consider audience development alongside diversity of content. For the summer exhibitions, I feel it is important to appeal to families who stay in New York as well as to draw in international travelers. Years ago, when I was living in New York City with my young children, I was always looking for fun summer activities, especially in the arts. So, when curating summer exhibitions, I try to put myself back in time imagining what I would have loved to have seen with my family. Jumping forward in time, Susumu Shingu’s work is just what I would have loved to see!  

Why did you choose to work with Susumu Shingu?

Michele:

It begins with strategic thinking—coupled with inspirational art. Over the next five years, I am developing exhibitions that embrace not only U.S.-Japan relationships but also explore “global” Japan. Shingu perfectly fits with my vision—his indoor sculptures at the gallery are linked to site-specific works in New York City, to his works in Japan, and to his works across the globe. Shingu has worked internationally throughout his entire career, forging a pioneering path since going to study in Italy after World War II. I see him as an artist of great connectivity. Above all, Shingu’s art is beautifully powerful. It is uplifting, colorful, and joyous, all of which inspires positive emotion. His kinetic sculptures are powered by the invisible forces of nature such as rising heat, moving water, flowing wind, and the pull of gravity. Although these forces surround us all the time, we often don’t notice… until we look for them. Shingu’s sculptures make us poignantly aware of these energies as we experience their sublime and unexpected motions. I love experiential work, and Shingu’s art deeply connects nature with human emotion. Without being didactic or content-specific, his works evoke imagery such as moons, stars, and clouds that are familiar yet also abstract. Shingu encourages us to respond in our own individual ways to universal content by offering a joyous experience for people across the globe of different ages, genders, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It was such good luck that Shingu was open to exhibiting with us this summer!

Susumu Shingu’s work is powered by the forces of nature. How do you bring the forces of nature into an indoor gallery space?

Michele:

While taking advantage of the gallery’s ventilation system, we will add fans to generate stronger air currents. However, the main connection we’re making is through linking works in the exhibition to the artist’s three monumental outdoor sculptures in New York City. Shingu is celebrated for his interior as well as exterior works. He created his most well-known interior sculpture, Boundless Sky, for the Kansai International Airport Terminal 1, which was designed by architect Renzo Piano, his close collaborator. Shingu is also an architect; his practice of making sculptures is informed by his understanding of interior and exterior spaces. He was keenly interested in exhibiting his works at Japan Society since he admires architect Junzō Yoshimura (1908-1997), who designed our landmark building. In terms of the indoor-outdoor connection, the exhibition will include a timeline showing images of Shingu’s site-specific sculptures worldwide. A selection of maquettes, small scale models that Shingu devises as he engineers the designs of larger sculptures, will be on display for the first time. He sets these along the window stills of his studio. Beyond the windows one can see his large sculptures amid the trees and by the pond.

Will the exhibition use all of the gallery space?

Michele:

While the exhibition will not encompass all of the gallery, it will utilize much of the open space of the building. Visitors will be greeted by a sculpture set in the pool by the lobby, and a group of sculptures will stand on the balcony atrium. An expansive timeline showing Shingu’s long international career will stretch across the corner walls of the Sky Room. Suspended sculptures will twirl from the high ceilings of Gallery 1. A corner of Shingu’s studio in Sanda will be replicated in Gallery 2 where maquettes will similarly align the windowsill.

What should visitors expect from the exhibition experience? What are your intentions and those of the artist and how do these come together?

Michele:

For me, the most compelling aspects of the curation are the creation of a joyful immersive experience, and the revelation of the artist’s creative process. It’s not a single work that I’m particularly excited about, but it’s the visitors’ experience of Shingu’s body of work and the processes behind it that I hope will inspire our audience.

Naomi:

I think that the installation in the lobby pool is amazing, because not only does it move in really unexpected ways, but because it is drawing water up from the pond and releasing it, it also has a sound component. The dripping and rippling water activates the lobby in a new way, and visitors will hear and see this as a preview to entering the exhibition. I’m also really excited about a work called Little Cosmos, which is made up of a number of flat white hexagons created with polyester cloth stretched across carbon fiber that are arranged in a cluster around a central void. The whole sculpture spins and the hexagons also spin individually, with movements that are very unexpected but also organic. The movements reflect how everything in the solar system revolves around a star, with the entire universe made up of slowly rotating galaxies. Adult visitors might see Little Cosmos, with all of its rotating stars, as a sort of microcosm of the universe but it is also such a fun work in terms of how it moves, and the light shining on it creates shadows all over the floor and the walls, which should be very appealing to visitors of all ages.

Michele:

In this exhibition the artist encourages our minds to wander as we experience the works. Unlike many of our exhibitions, the works will not be accompanied by descriptive labels—because Shingu wants visitors to interpret the works for themselves in their own ways. Thus, only his evocative titles will be provided. Shingu is very interested in the reception of his work, and he’s not putting it out there in a way to control one’s experience. Once created, he lets go… wanting his works to take on lives of their own. For Shingu, art is a way to connect people to nature and to one another. At a time of global environmental crisis the urgency for this is acute. Despite the sense of elation that Shungu’s sculptures may induce, raising awareness of environmental issues is a significant reason why I elected to bring the exhibition to Japan Society this summer. Shingu believes firmly in the importance of creativity, especially in fostering a love of arts and nature with children. He understands this is necessary for the future of the planet. At this time, late in life, Shingu wonders how his works will live on in the world after he is no longer here. Occasionally his sculptures appear in his dreams. Once an alien visited earth and chose to return to outer space with one of Shingu’s sculptures as a souvenir! Shingu has such a fascinating imagination, I hope visitors will enjoy making their own discoveries through his inspiration.