Abstract

In 1967, artist Keiichi Ikemizu established the avant-garde collective The PLAY in Osaka, Japan. Under the influence of Happenings, the group created ephemeral experimental performances in nature; “IE: THE PLAY Have a House” is one of their most significant works. The members designed a floatable wooden house with a red roof and white walls that they lived inside and used to travel down a river from August 5–10, 1972. The performance reached its ending due to an unexpected typhoon, and the artists destroyed the house. In 2015, IE was recreated during the Dojima River Biennale with a re-performance and a new name: “IE Picnic: THE PLAY Have a House.” This recreation was later exhibited in the group’s first solo museum exhibition, “The PLAY Since 1967: Beyond Unknown Currents,” at the National Museum of Art, Osaka under the concept of re-historicization. Finally, in 2017, “IE Picnic” was re-performed during the Venice Biennale 2017 and displayed on the shore of the Arsenale Harbor as a representation of artistic individuality. This essay aims to observe how institutional and curatorial representations influence the recreation of the work and whether the contemporary restagings have a positive or negative effect on the group.