Belvedere 21: Kazuko Miyamoto

Kazuko Miyamoto (1942 Tokyo) is an important protagonist of New York’s Lower East Side art scene, who has been stretching the limits of Minimal Art by building bridges between Western art practices and her Japanese heritage. Since her move to the US in 1964, as an early member of A.I.R. Gallery and with her own Gallery Onetwentyeight, founded in 1986, she has promoted the presentation of feminist and (post-)migrant art. Miyamoto first came to Linz in 1980 as a production assistant of works by American artist Sol LeWitt and established an enduring artistic and friendship network here.

Miyamoto’s multi-layered, radical works defy simple categories and attributions: they find their starting point in Minimal Art yet go beyond its strict geometric abstraction. Her impressive string constructions—two- and three-dimensional works consisting of hundreds, sometimes thousands of nails and cotton threads—as well as her later works made of twisted paper ropes and painted kimonos convey a strong, corporeal presence in space despite their ephemeral character.

The Belvedere honors Miyamoto’s oeuvre with the largest international retrospective to date and the first exhibition in a Viennese museum. The exhibition comprises around 100 exhibits from the late 1960s to the 2010s and brings together central string constructions, early paintings, photographs, drawings, and installations by the artist. The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive publication.

An exhibition conceived by MADRE · museo d’arte contemporanea Donnaregina, Naples.

The exhibition will be on view at the Belvedere 21 until 2 March, 2024.