De Balie Podcast

Amidst the profound social change and political turmoil of post-war Japan, a bold generation of avant-garde artists and photographers emerged in the 1960s, forever transforming the global art landscape. Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneers' director Amélie Ravalec attended the Dutch premiere at De Balie in Amsterdam to talk about the film with our cinema curator Stefan Malešević. Watch the film screening of Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneers until June 23, exclusively at De Balie.The 1960s era in Japan was a time of profound social change, political unrest and student protests. The turbulent times of the postwar era inspired an artistic explosion in Japan, with the emergence of a revolutionary scene of avant-garde artists who pioneered many disciplines: experimental and erotic photography, “Angura” theatre and underground street performances, apocalyptic Butoh dance, surreal illustrations and seminal graphic design.A new aesthetic of photography was born: “Are, Bure, Boke” (rough, dark and out of focus), pioneered by Mor