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KNOTS

 

"Art today is so complicated. It’s a language and it’s changing very rapidly. But everybody has certain connotations and associations about knots.

I was looking for instant communication. The knot is basic." - Shinkichi Tajiri

In 1967 Tajiri wanted to make a sculptural statement that would cut through all the mystification that he felt was invading the art scene. Tajiri aimed for a symbol of immediate recognition with a universal likeness, which he forged in varying patterns in polyester or bronze in his home foundry. Tajiri stated of the series, “Put a knot in the middle of a jungle, and everyone knows what it means."

text: Shinkichi Tajiri: Universal Paradoxes, Leiden University Press, 2015

photo above: Baarlo 1967 © Leonard Freed/Magnum Photos, courtesy Brigitte Freed

Tajiri with a knot, Baarlo
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