Fergus McCaffrey Revisits Mono-Ha in Postwar Japanese Avant-Garde

Fergus McCaffrey New York has opened 'The Expanded Field of Mono-Ha,' an exhibition reexamining Mono-Ha within Japan's postwar avant-garde. On view through July 31, 2026, the show features three generations of artists who redefined sculpture, material, and space after World War II. It centers on two landmark works: Kazuo Shiraga's 'Challenging Mud' (1955) and Nobuo Sekine's 'Phase—Mother Earth' (1968), representing Gutai and Mono-Ha respectively. Both involve direct physical engagement with raw materials like mud, water, earth, cement, and concrete, embodying the concreteness and embodied force of Gutai.