[Audio Guide]
Kawara On is known internationally for his Today series, in which the canvas is painted only with the date on which it was executed. The series was begun in 1966 as a way of proving his existence, and it was continued throughout his life with the strictly imposed rule that any painting left incomplete on the designated dated was destroyed. He travelled internationally, and would inscribe the date using the language of whatever place he was in, except for countries that did not use the Roman alphabet, where he would use Esperanto. The characters resemble newspaper typeface, and appear as though they have been made mechanically. However, no painting has the same date or brushstrokes. The date paintings overturn the ordinariness of the time that casually passes us by. The white letters emerge against the black background draws our attention to themomentary flash of our finite lives. These paintings bring invisible time before our eyes, a catalyst to awakening our consciousness.
