The exhibition presents a new face of print as a creative work

"Multiplicity and Unity" in Abu Dhabi .. re-discovers the works of 10 Japanese artists

  • The exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Japan.

    Photography: Najeeb Mohamed

  • Huda Al-Khamis: "The exhibition translates the commitment to deepening relations between the two friendly countries, the UAE and Japan, enabling cultural and creative industries, and building bridges of convergence and dialogue of cultures."

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In light of the growing belief that interest in publications is declining, and that they are on the way to disappearance and oblivion, the exhibition “Multiality and Unity… Works of Contemporary Japanese Artists”, which opened yesterday evening, at the Galleria Mall on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi, comes to reveal a new face of printing and publications as Artworks capable of expressing people, society, their issues, and other subjects, by highlighting the works of 10 Japanese artists who have effectively contributed to bringing about a fundamental change in the history of contemporary Japanese printing.

The exhibition, which is organized by the Abu Dhabi Festival, as part of the activities of its 19th session, in cooperation with the Japan Foundation and the Embassy of Japan in the UAE, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Japan, and will continue until July 7, seeks to research the works of artists who followed Prevailing trends in contemporary art, and try to re-evaluate the current history of contemporary Japanese print art, instead of focusing on the print specialists who charted the history of contemporary print art in Japan, as the curator, Kyoji Takizawa, of the Machida City Museum of Graphic Art in Tokyo, chose prints Created by 10 of Japan's most distinguished contemporary art artists, they explored a wide range of artistic possibilities through print, expanding the scope of expression in contemporary art using print media in the 1970s.

"Susaku Hanja"

On the significance of the exhibition, curator Kyoji Takizawa explained, “After more than 70 years of World War II, at a time when prints are on the verge of being forgotten as a trend in contemporary art, there is a need, in Japan and beyond, to reconsider history from a diverse group. From critical points of view, reflecting how Japan has had such a rich history of contemporary printing, a history built by many artists specializing in this type of art, which is often seen as a unique genre.

He pointed out that the "Susaku Hanja" movement, which means "creative prints", appeared in the early 20th century, during a period when the market was flooded with lithographs of minimal artistic value, and woodblock prints that were merely producing copies of original images for the purpose of "commercial" mass production. The movement represented a counter-reaction by artists who viewed print as a pure art form aiming to produce original works of value.

exceptional works

For her part, founder and artistic director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, founder of the Abu Dhabi Group for Culture and Arts, Huda Al-Khamis, said that the unique artworks included in the exhibition, highlight the cultural concepts that have prevailed in Japan since before the seventies of the last century, and document the development of contemporary Japanese formation through More than 100 years, through exceptional works that highlight the development of art schools in abstraction and the superior abilities of artists in creative dealing with formation, sculpture and installation using various materials, explaining that “the exhibition, under the supervision of Koji Takizawa, reflects through the works of 10 pioneer Japanese plastic artists, the aesthetics of contemporary Japanese art, It also translates the commitment of its organizers to deepening diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries, enabling cultural and creative industries, and building bridges of convergence and dialogue of cultures.

For his part, the Ambassador of Japan to the UAE, Akio Isumata, expressed his gratitude to the Abu Dhabi Group for Culture and Arts for their contributions to organizing the exhibition, hoping that the exhibition would make a new contribution to promoting cultural exchange and consolidating bilateral relations between the two countries.

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“Multiple Unity.. Works of Contemporary Japanese Artists” presents creations by: Masanari Murai, Toshinobu Onosato, Yasukazu Tabuchi, Yayoi Kusama, Natsuyuki Nakanishi, Hitoshi Nakazato, Tomoharu Murakami, Naoyoshi Hikosaka, Kosai Horiyatsu and Totoko.

The exhibition focuses on those artists who switched to artistic print in the seventies using a wide range of methods in an effort to promote this art that emerged after World War II, as the history of contemporary Japanese art dates back to that period, and then in 1950 an increasing number of artists appeared who They were also printmakers, and printing quickly rose to greater prominence in the 1960's which paved the way for many printshops to open the way for artists who were not necessarily print specialists to produce their own printmaking.

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Next July, the closing date of the exhibition, which is organized by the Abu Dhabi Festival, in cooperation with the Japan Foundation and the Embassy of Japan in the UAE.

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