In Memory of Yōji Kuri (1928-2024)
Yōji Kuri, Human Zoo, 1962
From April 17 to May 5, we are grateful to be able to collaborate with Fusako Matsu to present a free mini-screening of the late Yōji Kuri’s iconic work Human Zoo. Kuri was a pioneer of experimental animation in Japan, and his playful visions of human society are at once satirical and full of warmth.
In Japan, a memorial exhibition will be held to celebrate Kuri’s long career from 4/23 - 5/5 at gallerie VIVANT in Kamakura, and a “Goodbye Screening” in Suginami Public Hall on 4/28. Through this short online screening, we hope an international audience can join us in saying farewell to this legendary figure of experimental arts in Japan.
THE PROGRAM WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING ON CCJ’S VIEWING PLATFORM.
No need for membership! Share your thoughts on our screenings with us via Twitter, Instagram or Letterboxd.
Yōji Kuri
Yōji Kuri was born in 1928 in Sabae, Fukui, Japan. He has been active in numerous fields including animation, manga, painting, illustration, sculpture, and fiction. He founded the animation studio Kuri Jikken Manga Kōbō (Kuri Experimental Animation Studio) in 1960 and began producing works. The same year, Kuri, Ryōhei Yanagihara, and Hiroshi Manabe formed Animation 3-nin no Kai (Three-Person Animation Circle) and organized Japan’s first experimental animation screening at Sōgetsu Art Center. The screening series was later rebranded as an “Animation Festival,” and became the country’s foundational festival of animation, screening works from both Japan and overseas.
Music by Kuniharu Akiyama, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Yoko Ono, Tōru Takemitsu and others was incorporated into Kuri’s animated films, and many works including his masterpiece Clap Vocalism won awards and were screened at film festivals around the world. In the early days of Japanese television, Kuri produced hundreds of animations for televised series such as 11PM, Minna no Uta (“Songs for Everyone”), and Hyokkori Hyotan Island, and he also appeared in many TV programs and commercials. He continues to paint and create animation today.
http://www.yojikuri.jp/
