Introducing our new releases scheduled for October 22nd!
Here are the four titles!
The long-awaited book version of the super-popular lecture at Tokyo University of the Arts by Ryuta Ushiro, former leader of Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group!
“What is contemporary art?”
Welcome to a unique “insider’s” introduction to contemporary art, invited by an author who has continued to challenge this simple question through self-study.
It is a struggle, an invention, and an asset. It is money, it is poop, it is emptiness, it is a maze, it is a new perception, and it is also a question.
――From the “Introduction”
Back when I was encountering art on my own through self-study, I even used to spout sophistry to my peers studying art at art universities, saying things like, “What! If you don’t study it, you can’t understand art? Maybe you’re not cut out for art!” In that sense, I must confess that being in a position to teach at Geidai (Tokyo University of the Arts) now is, honestly, a very embarrassing and awkward situation.
――From “Chapter 1: What Art Is and What It Is Not”
[Table of Contents]
● Chapter 1: What Art Is and What It Is Not
● Chapter 2: Where Does the “Power” of Art Lie?
● Chapter 3: What Is “Media” to Art?
● Chapter 4: To “Whom” Does Art Belong?
● Chapter 5: What Is “Ethics” to Art?
● Chapter 6: What Is “Identity” to Art?
● Chapter 7: What Is the “Avant-Garde” to Art?
● Chapter 8: What Is the “Market” to Art?
Why do humans “perform”?
Ancient Greece, the Renaissance, the Northern and Southern Courts period…
There was a “common thread” in the eras when theatrical revolutions occurred. A grand history of theater depicted by the leading playwright of our time!
“When did we Homo sapiens become ‘performing humans’? Furthermore, why did we evolve the ability to ‘perform differently’ depending on the situation? And at some point, humans sophisticated and stylized this act of performing to create an institution called ‘theater.’ Why was this institution of ‘theater’ born? (Omitted) This book divides the origins of such theater—from the beginning of the act of performing, through the birth of the institution of theater, to the completion of modern theater—into several items and describes their commonalities.” (From the “Prologue”)
[Table of Contents]
Prologue: The Performing Human = Homo Personans
Chapter 1: The Performing Body… The Beginning of Theater
Chapter 2: The Eve of the Birth of Theater
Chapter 3: Until the Birth of Greek Tragedy
Chapter 4: Ancient Greece and Greek Tragedy
Chapter 5: Elizabethan Theater
Chapter 6: The Birth of Noh
Chapter 7: World Theater History Again
Epilogue: Instead of an Afterword
The country that controls resources controls the world!
Geological inequality creates inequality in international politics—. Coal pushed Britain to the center of the world. Oil made America a superpower and turned the Middle East into the focus of world politics. Rare metals are currently reorganizing the hegemony structure amidst the decarbonization revolution and the AI revolution. Modern world history deciphered through resources!
From the Industrial Revolution and the two World Wars to the Iran War, the transition of hegemony is vividly organized through the lens of resources. What is the survival strategy for Japan, which lacks resources? What will happen to the future international order? A must-read book for thinking about the future as we stand at a civilizational turning point!
Adults who have failed at learning English should feel free to learn more freely! Deciphering unlearned languages, passive listening, live commentary… A book that turns daily life into a language adventure.
Recommended by Kaori Ekuni!
“What a delightful book. For anyone who loves words, their blood must surely boil. I think these are wonderful shoes for venturing into the forest of words.”
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Please continue to support our September releases as well!
