Art since the 1960s has reveled in a directional pluralism devoid of dominant mediums or movements, with no consensus on how the range of artists and styles might add up to a more significant whole.
The contentious and multiple directions that contemporary art takes, though, are what makes it most interesting.
For several years, The National Museum of Art, Osaka, has been staging a series of exhibitions titled "Recent Works" that fete early and mid-career artists expected to play significant roles in Japan's contemporary art world.