Events 1964

Curator: My first impression? An odd little haiku in graphic form! What a curious treasure. Editor: We're looking at "Events" by Takehisa Kosugi, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection, though undated. It's essentially a playful composition of letters, sealed inside what looks like a translucent plastic case. Curator: The juxtaposition of these bold, fragmented letters, almost like archetypes adrift...it's playful, yet unsettling. The case itself is like a reliquary, preserving a secret. Editor: Or perhaps it's a commentary on containment, the way language itself can be both liberating and restrictive. The symbols feel very raw, very exposed, but also somehow protected from the world. Curator: Exactly! It's as if the artist is suggesting that these symbols are both universal and deeply personal, that the events they represent are always happening inside and outside of us. Editor: It makes you wonder, doesn't it, about the events the artist had in mind and what associations we bring to the work ourselves. Curator: The artwork is an enigma—inviting our own interpretation and response, but also resisting any easy answers or conclusions. Editor: A small package, a big question mark. Food for thought, indeed!