Ryosuke's stamina and the longevity of his project has been an inspiration to me for many years as well.
--manekineko www.mailart.org --- In [email protected], guido bondioli <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Cohen is a giant among us. BrainCell has been an > inspiration for hundreds of people. Everyone send him > something. > > --- Sztuka Fabryka <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > MAIL ART NETWORKING ART > > > > Recently, I have observed many signs that make me > > feel as if Mail Art is > > drawing to a close, and that there are many past > > publications that could be > > seen as 'compilations' of Mail Art. Quite a few > > predecessors of Mail Art > > have passed away, including Ray Johnson(USA), the > > Father of Mail Art, > > G.A.Cavellini (ITALY), Robin Crozier (ENGLAND), > > Robert Rehfeldt (GERMANY), > > G.Deisler (GERMANY), Carlo Pittore (USA), and > > others. This is probably also > > because exchange by mail in the age of computers is > > considered primitive, > > and after the end of the COLD WAR between the East > > and the West, the > > necessity of correspondence between those two > > different worlds has been > > lost. > > On the other hand, I have been regularly receiving > > mail art by mail and fax, > > in response to my BRAIN CELL PROJECT dating from the > > year 1985, which has > > been numbered issue no.652, as of June 2006. Every > > time I receive mail art, > > I am pleased to see more and more new participants. > > After making them a > > collage of their drawings, designs, logos, seals, > > stickers and the like, I > > make it a rule to send the finished project back to > > each participant. Mail > > Art is far from finishing. I appreciate the role of > > collaboration in Mail > > Art. It is important to have new participants each > > time, but it is more > > important to be evoked by other mail artists' ideas > > from within the large > > and deep Network with a diverse range of expressions > > and concept. I can make > > mail artists' ideas more interesting by actively > > availing myself of seals > > and stamps and other materials sent from others and > > through my own printed > > matter. What is more, I can give other mail artists > > the feeling that they > > can utilise other's art and collaborate their ideas. > > We have the Doppler effect in physics. The sound > > coming nearer to us becomes > > narrower between the sonic waves and sounds higher > > and more urgent in our > > ears. On the contrary, as waves travel away from us > > they get relatively > > wider and the sound appears lower. There are a > > variety of physical sounds > > around us: for example, the sound of cars coming and > > going. This phenomena > > is also true of art. Some art comes towards me, > > while other art goes away. > > People very often ask me how we can know good from > > bad in art. It does not > > matter whether this representational painting is > > good in composition and > > colour and technique, or whether that piece of > > abstract art is good in > > balance and rhythm. I don't think it important to > > generally decide which > > style of art is better than the others. That is to > > say traditional ways of > > thinking about art is fading away from me. > > Often other artists only use limited new techniques > > in spite of what is > > called 'originality and individuality,' to the > > constant efforts predecessors > > had made for so long. A variety of works of modern > > art with too much false > > assertion of originality and individuality are also > > travelling away from me. > > When I was at art school, I used to draw or paint > > representational, moved by > > Cezanne's composition, and Matisse's brightness and > > his own style of plane. > > Later on I had some exchange with members of the > > Gutai Group, so I learned > > new concepts of art through contemporary art. > > Consequently I have been > > participating in Mail Art Networking. I claim that > > this was a natural > > changeover and has no inconsistency with my personal > > concept of art. We need > > no large studio or storage space for paintings. > > Whoever wants to take part > > in mail art does so freely. > > We can deny the authority of the traditional art > > world, because mail artists > > directly exchange their own artworks. The > > fascination for Mail Art, more > > than twenty years ago, approached me with a high > > sound. Even now the > > collaborative concept of Mail Art is coming closer > > to me with a much higher > > sound. > > We don't have any fixed "ism" in the infinite > > expanse of the Mail Art > > Network. Postcards, xeroxes, collages, drawings, > > photos, CGs, CDs, and other > > forms are sent in by mail, fax, e-mail etc. We are > > overwhelmed by the > > diversity of how mail art members think and express > > themselves. We realise > > that countless "isms" are mixed together in a state > > of chaos that is > > represented in Mail Art. Of course, we don't > > copyright our works. Interested > > in others' works, we add something to them or > > combine them together, and > > then send them back or forward them on to a third > > party. We occasionally > > find them changed into pieces with quite an > > unexpected concept. > > At a glance, the jungle looks as if it is made up of > > gigantic trees, but the > > fact is that the rain-forests in the Amazon of South > > America consists of > > numerous species that cohabit harmoniously: ferns > > and mosses parasitic to > > the gigantic trees, very tiny insects that hide > > themselves under the fallen > > leaves, insects camouflaging in dead leaves and > > twigs against the enemies, > > puny insects swarming together as a threat, birds > > displaying their existence > > with colorful feathers and a shrill cry and many > > other mammals and birds. > > We really wonder at how diverse these living things > > are! We can lean from > > the rain forest that there are a multitude of LIFE > > FORMS. We are not chained > > to any fixed "ism" as this frees us from constraint, > > nor do we care for > > copyright we prefer to revise and copy others' works > > in a free and easy > > style. In such a network there is the possibility of > > our experiencing much > > by communication of mail art. This is the very LIFE > > FORM that we can > > experience in a variety of ways. > > Networking Art is art that enables us to be a > > praying mantis in camouflage, > > or butterflies flying on colourful wings. > > Nowadays I have come to realise that we are all part > > of a FRACTAL, and that > > I can be a piece of that FRACTAL, and that I can > > create art, in a way that > > extends beyond myself as an individual, in > > communication with infinite mail > > artists' ideas. > > In the same way that we appreciate the various kinds > > of LIFE FORMS in the > > amazon, we can experience a multitude of art forms > > in the MAIL ART NETWORK. > > It is only human beings who can experience plural > > LIFE FORMS, by which we > > can acquire a genuine sense of new creation. > > > > JUNE 2006 > > RYOSUKE COHEN > > Ryosuke Cohen c/o Brain Cell > > 3-76-1-A-613 Yagumokitacho Moriguchi City Osaka 570 > > Japan > > TEL&FAX +81.6.6991.1507 > > E-mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://www.h5.dion.ne.jp/~cohen/info/english.htm > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryosuke_Cohen > > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? 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