Another passing

Message from Igor Bartolech, I am sorry to announce that a dear friend and a very important artist, Mr. Shozo Shimamoto, of Osaka, Japan, passed away on Friday, January 25th, three days after his 85th birthday. He was a pioneer as one of the original members of the Gutai art movement in the 50s and then took up mail art, spending subsequent decades as a performer on an international stage and a teacher of younger artists everywhere. 
Safe journey Shozo-san....

Performance by Kazuo Shiraga, also a Gutai member and also age 85
Stamp sheet by John Held who organizes a tribute project to the Gutai movement in 2013 and invited Mr Shiraga to perform IF still possible

Shozo once again

From Diane Bertrand, Canada

Just back from Tokyo

From John Held Jr, on Gutai, Shozo and a mail art meeting in Japan with Ryosuke, Gianni and Eicchi

Shozo in San Francisco

Collage collaboration: John Held Jr, Moan Lisa, Guido Vermeulen

GUTAI TO THE RESCUE OF GOTHAM CITY AROUND 1954 (or was it 1956?)

A comical collage I made for the propject proposed by John Held Jr, USA, accompanied by a short letter:

Hi John,

I thought your project needed some LoL.

Shozo as Batman (oops) & the dates are not without some acid-sweet LoL!

The Gutai manifesto was written in 1956 by YOSHIHARA
but mister Shimamoto pretends he is responsible
for founding Gutai already in 1954.

Of course I invented mail art in the year 1302 !!!

Cheers,

Guido

Gutai, Shozo, John and Belgium

From John Held Jr, USA
Tribute project to Gutai group
(Japanese Fluxus)
Last image is tribute stamps to Belgian
mail artists in 1989
Funny is that Rod Summers
(from the Netherlands)
suddenly becomes a citizen
of Belgium
Well, worse things can happen!

RAY and SHOZO

Received from Susan Gold and Diane Bertrand, Canada

Tribute to Gutai and Shozo

From Diane Bertrand, Canada

GUTAI

GUTAI was like the Japanese branch of Fluxus. Shozo Shimamoto was a prominent member who followed Ray Johnson in expanding Fluxus to mail art correspondences and networking