This was the most comprehensive exhibition of work by On Kawara in the UK to date. It exemplified the artist’s ongoing preoccupation with the nature of human consciousness. It included 36 Date Paintings, one for each year since 1966 when the artist began making them, and a rarely seen early drawing, Sundays of 100 Years.

Also included were more than 150 telegrams sent by the artist to friends and colleagues since 1970, bearing just the message ‘I am still alive’. One Million Years – Past and One Million Years – Future are two complementary works listing the passage of time across thousands of pages

Accompanying the exhibition was an installation in Ikon’s Tower consisting solely of the recorded sound of two people reading from One Million Years – Past and One Million Years – Future.

On Kawara returned to Ikon in 2006,  closing his exhibition tour of the world.

This exhibition was organised in collaboration with Le Consortium, Dijon and was supported by The Japan Foundation.