Akutagawa Prize
1 appearances
Genpei Akasegawa
あかせがわ げんぺい
Akasegawa Genpei
Pen Names:
Genpei Akasegawa（Professional/pen name used in publications）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
Career
- Occupations
- artist, writer, photographer, critic
- Active Years
- 1960-2014
- Affiliations
- Roadside Observation Society
- Influenced By
- Marcel Duchamp, Conceptual art
Awards & Nominations
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 53 (1999) special award
Works
Major Works
Hyperart Thomasson
1985 essay/criticism (art theory)A collection documenting and analysing 'Thomasson'—functionless yet visually intriguing fragments of architecture found in the city—through photographs and commentary. Using humour and keen observation, it revalues everyday urban fragments.
urban observationhumoraesthetics of surplus/uselessness
Bibliography
- Hyperart Thomasson
- Roadside Observation Studies (essays and collections on street observation)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- observational, humorous prosefragmentary, collage-like writing
- Recurring Motifs
- functionless urban fragments (Thomassons)wordplay and conceptual twistsvisual discoveries in everyday life
Legacy
His concept of 'Thomasson' and methods of urban observation, combining humour with critique, have had significant influence on contemporary art, urban studies, and popular culture in Japan. He is credited with expanding small street observations into broader cultural perspectives.
Academic Societies
- Roadside Observation Society
In Popular Culture
- The term 'Thomasson' has entered popular urban observation discourse and is frequently cited in blogs and photo posts online.
Trivia
- He proposed the concept of 'Thomasson' to describe functionless yet aesthetically interesting architectural fragments. The name is popularly explained as deriving from American baseball player Gary Thomasson.
- Through the Roadside Observation Society he collected and recorded mundane urban details such as redundant structures and signs.