Atsuko, Tanaka (1932–2005)

Born on the February 10, 1932 in Osaka, Japan, Atsuko Tanaka was a leading figure in Gutai, an avante-garde artists’ movement which counted more women among its members than any other group in Japan’s art world. Yet, she stood apart from some of her male counterparts, who were not shy of stripping down to loincloths and using their bodies and paintbrushes much more gesturally to proclaim inner feelings of freedom, jubilation or angst. She retreated from subjective expression and concealed her body from public view, so as to explore the interface between the physiological and technological.