Paper short abstract:

This paper will focus on the transmodern character of the Avant-Garde movement in 1920s Japan by paying attention to the exchange between Japanese, Ukrainian, and Russian artists.

Paper long abstract:

This paper will focus on the transcultural and transmodern character of the artistic "Avant-Garde" movement in 1920s Japan paying particular attention to exchange relationships between Japanese, Ukrainian and Russian artists, which transcended geographical and cultural borders. Is it possible to locate a mutual transformation by searching for possible shifts in perspectives, artistic, and written practices?

1920 the Ukrainian Cubo-futurist David Davidovich Burliuk arrived in Japan and although his two-year stay was short-lived, he was engaged in the artistic Japanese scene, organized over 10 exhibitions all over Japan, and participated in a joint publication on futurism. A few months before Burliuk's departure, the Russian constructivist Varvara Dmitrijevna Bubnova comes to Japan for an over 30-year long period. At first view, it seems that the Japanese art had no artistic impact on Burliuk as in comparison; Bubnova studied Japanese art history and went through an artistic development in changing her main medium of expression from painting to print. This paper will argue that though the two artists appear to be opposing poles, yet they are inseparably connected to each other.

In order to gather insights into the active artistic production of the Japanese "Avant-Garde" in the context of its time, the author will challenge the European art historical categories of originality, imitation, center, periphery, influence, reception, and any thought of progress and purity in art. Instead, the theoretical and methodological grounding will include concepts of diverse "Modernisms" (referring to Partha Mitter) and of "Transmodernity" (referring to Christian Kravanga) while raising the question if and how a mutual (self-)transformation between Japanese, Ukrainian and Russian artists occurred by analyzing artworks, joint exhibitions, and publications.