Shozo SHIMAMOTO

Japanese　1928 - 2013

Shozo Shimamoto had won himself international recognition with his "bottle throwing art" and "cannon painting." "Bottle-throwing art" refers to the artwork of which the artist created by throwing pigment-filled glass bottles to the canvas. When glass bottles were smashed to the surface, the pigment were splashed, leaving traces of power with various colors. With the effect of gravity and acceleration, pictures of strong energy was created by the exploded bottles."Cannon painting" was the method utilizing the mechanical cannon Shimamoto created. Which he used to fire the color balls onto the canvas.

Shimamoto was born in Osaka, he graduated from the Kansai University Faculty of Arts in Osaka. He is a founding member of "Gutai", the Japanese post-war avant-garde art group. The term "Gutai", also known as “Gutai Art Association” in full, was proposed by Shozo Shimamoto. "Gutai" insists that the creation of art requires interaction of the body and the surrounding environment. And Art must be an original idea which have never been executed before. Contrary to traditional paintings, "Gutai" artists have each resorted to strange tricks, abandon paintbrushes, and practice their actions to perform their manifesto.