In 2018, art came via many anniversaries in Japan
This year saw a lot of anniversaries in Japan. It was 1868 when Crown Prince Mutsuhito became the Emperor Meiji, the official policy of national isolation ended and the country ...
Shared spaces, locally produced goods and everyday objects
Making physical connections with people, whether via large-scale events and spaces or design concepts, and a continued celebration of traditional crafts, appeared to be a key direction for design in Japan this year. "2018 was the year Japan embraced the idea of 'shared space' — ...
'Les Mains sans Sommeil': It's not what you do, it's the way you do it
"Les Mains Sans Sommeil" is an ode to handiwork by Hermes artists-in-residence, whose experimental textile works wrestle with beauty and desire in surprising ways.
Dec. 7-March 31 Tadanobu Asano, is best known as an actor, but in 2013, he began sketching and drawing to kill time on sets during the long waits between scenes for "The Wasted Times" (2016). He doodled on scripts, on the reverse sides of schedule ...
'Hiroko Tsuchida Solo Exhibition: "Do — Where's a Will, There's a Way"'
Dec. 8-April 7 A graduate of the Nagoya University of Arts, contemporary artist Hiroko Tsuchida has won multiple awards including the Franck Muller Art Grand Prix and second place at the Asahi Modern Craft Exhibition. She highlights the concept behind her creations through sculptural organic ...
'Like a Star: Leaving and the Things That Are Left'
Dec. 8-Feb. 11 The Ashiya City Museum of Art and History's documentation of artists includes historical sketchbooks, diaries, manuscripts and photographs, many of which were once keepsakes of artists' families and close friends. Such items offer valuable insight into artists' personal lives and help further ...
Shinzo Fukuhara: Shiseido's patron of beauty
As an artist, Shinzo Fukuhara may not be a household name, but his production of a photography magazine, founding of the Shiseido Gallery and writings on aesthetics were seminal to the development of art photography in Japan.
The art world's oversight of Escher's mathematical work doesn't add up
M.C. Escher's preoccupation with perspective was like that of the Renaissance, his early intricate stone topographies were in the vein of Andrea Mantegna and his mesmerizing architectures recall Giovanni Battista Piranesi — yet his fans were mostly from outside the art world.
'Michael Kenna: A 45 Year Odyssey 1973-2018'
Dec. 1-Jan. 27 An internationally recognized landscape photographer, Michael Kenna has had more than 450 solo exhibitions and published around 70 photo books. With a focus on the mystical effects of lighting and the relationship of man-made structures and landscape, he often uses black-and-white film ...
'Randall Okita: A Place Between'
Nov. 29-Feb. 14 Working closely with sculpture, technology and performance, Japanese-Canadian artist and filmmaker Randall Okita creates innovative installations that challenge the conventional notions of artistic disciplines while addressing difficult subjects such as violence, conflict and reconciliation. His works combine sculpture, film, digital media and ...
Dec.1-Feb. 28 Hashimoto Kansetsu (1883-1945) was greatly influenced by his father, a Confucian scholar, who introduced him to kangaku (Chinese classical literature). Using the Shijo School of traditional Japanese-style painting as the foundation of his work, Hashimoto often looked to Chinese classics for inspiration. He also ...
