Tautologies by On Kawara

From: "Nothing, Something, Everything", 1963.

"Location", 1965.

Date Paintings ("Today Series")

	"This painting itself is January 15, 1966."		"I am painting this painting."
	"From 123 Chambers St. to 405 E. 13th St."		"Beatles and their neutrality."
	"In Beira, the Greek tanker Ioanna V defied a British embargo on oil for Rhodesia and docked at Mozambique."		"New Zealand's fifth Maori King, Koroki Te Wherowhero, 54, has died at Ngaruawhahia."
	"Two tankers and two tugboats crashed in a fiery disaster in Lower New York Bay."		"In Oslo, the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided after a 2-hour meeting today not to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 1966."
	"The New York Generals defeated the California Clippers, 3-0, in a National Professional Soccer League game before a crowd of 3,027 at New York's Yankee Stadium."		"Soviet Premier Kosygin left Havana today after 4 days of talk with Cuban Premier Fidel Castro."
	"WE REJECT WE RESIGN"		"Temperaturas de hoy en el Valle de México: Máxima, 25.7  Mínima, 10.4."
	"E.U.  El senador Robert F. Kennedy fue balaceado a las 00.25 horas de hoy, en el lobby del hotel Ambassador de Los Angeles, Cal., y su estado es de extrema gravedad."		"El senador Robert F. Kennedy expiró hoy a las 2:44 de la mañana (hora de México), veinticinco horas y media después de haber sido herido a tiros en la cabeza por al  fanático jordano Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, de 24 años de edad."
	"Decenas de millares de urugayos desfilaron esta noche en Montevideo por la Universidad en silenciosa protesta por la muerte del estudiante comunista Liber Arce, que fué herido durante los disturbios habidos cecientemente en esta capital."		"Catorce refugiados cubanos huyeron de Cuba en un avión de carga de fabricación rusa, que cruzó el estrecho de la Florida y aterrizó en un aeropuerto a 40 kilómetros, al sur de Miami."
	"La Unión Soviética anunció que su cosmonave Zond-6 circonvoló hoy la Luna y está continuando su vuelo traslunar."		" 'Hotel Parque Casino' con una tableta de EXCEDRIN en Montevideo."
	"MAN WALKS ON MOON."
	"Prince Norodom Sihanouk, Chief of State of Cambodia, was overthrown today in his absence, the Pnompenh radio announced." "A limited withdrawal of civilians and soldiers from army headquarters at Long tieng, Laos began today after the United States-supported base nearby at Sam Thong fell to 2,000 North Vietnamese troops." "United States' postal system's first strike started today in the New York metropolitan area."		"Saboto."
			"North Vietnam announced today that it was canceling all arrangements to receive sick and wounded prisoners of war from the South on the ground that only 13 out of 570 originally announced would be transferred."
			"Communist China orbited its second earth satellite today."
	"Tasadays."
"Mekredo."	"Dimanche."	"Tuesday."	"Wednesday."
"Thursday."	"Saturday."	"Freitag"	"Sonntag"
"Sonnabend"	"Donnerstag"	"Wednesday."	"Tuesday."
"Tuesday."	"Tuesday."	"Wednesday."	"Tuesday."
"Monday."	"Wednesday."
			"Monday."

Bibliography. Björn Springfeldt: On Kawara. Continuity/Discontinuity, 1963-1979. Moderna Museet, Stockholm, 1980. (Includes a list of all "Date Paintings" (Today Series) with their subtitles from January 4, 1966 until December 20, 1979.)

Footnote: Date paintings by other artists

Ben Vautier: "1966", 1966	Ben Vautier: "Not Dated" [1966]	Robert Indiana: "2000", 2000
Alghiero e Boetti: "Oggi e venerdi ventisette marzo millenovecentosettantatre", 1973.

 

Compiled by Remko Scha, 2006/2008