Yoshio Sekine

Born in Wakayama, Japan, Yoshio Sekine was a member of the avant-garde Gutai group, which he helped found in 1954, after meeting the influential painter Jiro Yoshihara (1905-1972) through the Jiyu Bijutsu Kyoukai (Free Artists' Association). In 1955, he participated in The 7th Yomiuri Independent Exhibition and his work was selected for an exhibition curated by Michel Tapié (1909-1987) in 1958. Sekine later moved to Tokyo in 1959 and presented a painting of an abacus for the first time at The 15th Yomiuri Independent Exhibition in 1963. He went on to build his oeuvre around recurring motifs such as abacuses, gates, rail wagons, and Mt. Fuji, and participated in several notable exhibitions throughout his career. He received the prestigious Mainichi Art Award in 1952.

Sekine's use of the abacus as a motif was a significant feature of his artistic career, with the subject appearing in many of his works until his later years. The abacus, with its movable beads and semiotic function, provided an intriguing subject for generating geometric compositions. In some of his works, the bead configuration indicated the date the work was completed. By using the abacus as a sign system, Sekine's depictions of abacuses straddle the line between abstraction and representation, achieving a new kind of 'realism' that transcends traditional illusionism. His works on abacus beads not only offer a new perspective on the object itself but also explore the abstract qualities inherent in it.