Yoshimoto (art history, New Jersey City U.) makes an in-depth and comparative examination of five Japanese women artists in New York: Yayoi Kusama, Yoko Ono, Takako Saito, Mieko Shiomi, and Shigeko Kubota. The title "Into Performance" refers not only to performance art, but also to the transitional period in which the five artists experimented with various media before becoming performance artists. Derived directly from the author's doctoral dissertation, this scholarly volume begins with a look at artists' historical background (both Japanese and American) and common issues, and then devotes one chapter each to the respective artists and their work. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)