was a Japanese

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

filmmaker and fine artist. He is considered one of the pioneers of

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

and

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

filmmaking in Japan. Iimura was born in Tokyo and was a graduate of

Keio University , abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...

. His film ''Onan'' (1963) won the Special Prize at the

Brussels International Independent Film Festival The Brussels Independent Film Festival, previously known as the Brussels International Independent Film Festival, or le Festival International du Film Indépendant de Bruxelles, has taken place since 1974. It originally focused on Super 8 films, ...

in 1964. He published a seminal work on experimental filmmaking in 1970, ''Geijutsu to higeijutsu no aida'', and a biography of

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

, ''Ono Yōko hito to sakuhin'', in 1985. Iimura made much of his film in New York City, but became a professor at the Nagoya Zokei University of Art & Design in 1992.

Filmography

1960s

*"Film Poems," (1962–1970, 16mm) *"Iro" (Colors), (1962, 16mm (from 8mm), Music:

Yasunao Tone was a Japanese multidisciplinary artist born in Tokyo, Japan and working in New York City. He graduated from Chiba University in 1957 with a major in Japanese Literature. An important figure in postwar Japanese art during the 1960s, he was active ...

, 8 min.) *Onan (1963, 16mm, B/W, 7min., Music:

; Winner, Special Prize, Brussels International Film Festival) *"Taka and Ako," (1966, 16mm (from 8mm), black and white, silent, 16fps, 15 min.) *"White Calligraphy," (1967, 16mm, black and white, silent, 11 min.) *"Filmmakers," (1968, 28 min.)

1970s

*"Kiri" (Fog), (1970, 16mm (from 8mm), black and white, silent, 16fps, 7 min.) *"Film Strips I," (1970, 16mm, black and white, silent, 11.5 min.) *"The Pacific Ocean" (1971, 16mm, colour, silent, 11 min.) *"Self Identity" (1972, 1 min.) *"Double Portrait" (1973–1987, 5 min.) *"I Love You" (1973–1987, 4.5 min.) *"Double Identity" (1979, 1.5 min.)

1980s

*"I Am A Viewer, You Are A Viewer" (1981, 4 min.) *"This Is A Camera Which Shoots This" (1982–1995, 5 min.) *"Air’s Rock" (portmanteau, DVD, including Moments at the Rock, (1984, color, sound, 12 min.) and A Rock in the Light (1985/2008, 18 min. Music: Haruyuki Suzuki, 2008)) *New York Hotsprings (1984, DVD, b/w, 10 min. Part of Experiments in New York) *"TV Confrontation" (1986, DVD, color, stereo, 5 min. with Tetsuya fukui, "Video=Aleph") *New York Day and Night (1989, DVD, color, Music:

Takehisa Kosugi was a Japanese composer, violinist and artist associated with the Fluxus movement. Early life Kosugi was born in Tokyo in 1938, and studied musicology at the Tokyo University of the Arts, graduating in 1962. Early musical influences Kosug ...

, 58 min.)

1990s

*"As I See You You See Me" (1990–1995, 7 min.) *PERFORMANCE/MYSELF (Or Video Identity) (portmanteau, 1972–1995, DVD, 7 pieces, total 29 min.)

References

External links

*
Speaking Engagement
1937 births 2022 deaths Japanese film directors Japanese experimental filmmakers Japanese video artists American experimental filmmakers American video artists Artists from Tokyo Keio University alumni {{Japan-film-director-stub