Dochaku: artistic evolution at the confluence of cultures

Abstract

This research project investigates artistic evolution through the process of dochaku. Originally an agricultural principle, the Japanese term dochaku, meaning ‘of the land,’ signifies a fresh idea from outside being adopted and adapted to suit the local environment, often to the point where it is eventually considered ‘indigenous’ to the locality. Employing this concept of dochaku as a perspective, the research investigates how Frank Lloyd Wright, Pierre Alechinsky, Issey Miyake and Hiroshi Sugito developed their internationally recognized art practices by, among other means, internalising and individualising elements of traditional Japanese culture found in its architecture, calligraphy, textile and painting, respectively. The primary aims of this research are to uncover the individual negotiations in cultural interaction in these cases, and from these discoveries, to formulate a model of artistic evolution by the dochaku process. Unlike the commonly accepted models that rely on concepts such as hybridisation, the research examines cultural interaction with a focus on the process rather than the product. By so doing, it has uncovered that the artists exploit and explore the potentiality of foreign aesthetic elements by ceaseless experimentation, re-contextualisation, and eventual ‘indigenisation’ of the elements into their art, facilitating an evolution of their practice over time. The dochaku perspective has also revealed that the products of cultural interaction can vary widely, ranging from the visibly-mixed to not-visibly-mixed. I have proposed to classify them into three states: the State of Maturation, the State of Visible Conjunction, and the State of a New Paradigm. In contrast, hybridisation models recognise only the visibly-mixed as the proof of cultural interaction. These findings attest to the variety of negotiations possible in cultural interaction, foregrounding the individuality and agency of the artist without typecasting her as a ‘creative genius.’ Furthermore, by recognising the previously un-recognised products of cultural interactions, the research has revealed the ubiquitous nature of cultural interaction. It is likely that the awareness of dochaku process in artistic evolution can help us widen our horizon and deepen our understanding of cultural formation, leading to richer cultural interactions in the world of visual art.