PERMANENT Collection 2nd term 2017　Seeing: Photographs and Videos from the First Decade of the 21st Century　

　　
Both photographs and videos have dramatically advanced since they first appeared, respectively, at the beginning and end of the nineteenth century. Today, we come into contact with a considerable variety and number of them in various forms of media, such as books, television, and the internet. Furthermore, with individuals now sharing their own photographs and videos on social networking sites, this tendency is accelerating. There are many contemporary artists who use photographs and videos as means of expression, producing many wonderful works that present new perspectives.
In this exhibition, we will share fourteen photography and video pieces made by a total of ten artists in Japan during the first decade of the new millennium. One of these artists is Lieko Shiga. She constructs unique worlds in which a variety of elements compete with each other: life and death, falsehood and truth . . . Shiga employs various methods to do so, such as deep communication with her subjects, as well as re-photographing modified photos. On the other hand, Miwa Yanagi, another featured artist, uses special makeup and the like to transform subjects into how they perceive they will look in fifty years, stimulating viewers’ imaginations regarding old age and life.
While the photography and video works on display vary in terms of style and content, they are similar in that the artists are employing their own methods to express what they think it means to “see.” “Seeing,” the title of this exhibit is taken from the title of an omnibus video piece by six artists that was planned and put together by Toshio Matsumoto, who passed away in April of this year. Entering the exhibition room, we invite visitors to enjoy intersections of diverse perspectives as well as the echoes of imagination produced therein.
　　

　　
Sanuki lacquerware has existed since the end of the Edo period (1603-1868), when Zokoku Tamakaji created its foundation. Various living things appear as motifs in pieces in this style, from birds and bugs to the imaginary Chinese phoenix. This exhibition will feature thirty-six Sanuki lacquerware pieces that include images of living things. They were made using the Sanuki kinma, choshitsu, and zonsei lacquer carving techniques.
This exhibit will feature fifteen artists. One is the master carver and tea ceremony aficionado Kado Kamada, who precisely carved life-like shrimps, crabs, dragonflies, mantes, and cows onto small incense containers. Viewers will also be able to enjoy the art of Joshin Isoi, who was versed in kinma, choshitsu, and zonsei, and helped modernize Sanuki lacquerware. In his piece Helmeted Guineafowl and Cactus: Choshitsu Ornament Cabinet, he depicts two helmeted guineafowls and a cactus using the kinma and choshitsu technique. Even today his clear and rather modern design feels fresh. Hitoshi Ota, on the other hand, expanded the possibilities of kinma with the bamboo strip weaving technique rantai and the carving technique nunome-hori. In his Rantai Kinma Octagonal Lidded Food Container with Insect Images, one finds insects such as wasps and grasshoppers against a plant design, bringing to mind an open field.
This exhibit offers viewers an opportunity to enjoy Sanuki lacquerware’s diverse set of animals that seemingly vie for their attention.
　　

Period：
June 30(Fri)-Sep 24(Sun),2017
　　
Venue：
Permanent Collection Gallery
Closed：
Monday(the following weekday if Monday is a holiday)
*The Museum will be open on Monday,August 14.
　　
Hours：
Monday - Saturday & Holidays: 9:30 - 17:00 (Entry until 16:30)
*Until 19:00 during special exhibitions from Tuesday through Saturday and national holidays *Last entry is 30 minutes prior to closing.
　　
Organized by:
TAKAMATSU ART MUSEUM
　　
Admission：
【General 】200yen（160yen)
【University students】150yen (120yen)
【High school age or younger／ Seniors 65+】Admission free
※Advance Purchase and Groups of 20 or More Get Discounts (pricing in parenthesis)
※Free admission for those with a physical disability certificate, rehabilitation certificate, or mental disability certificate.
　　
Telephone Inquiry
Takamatsu Art Museum
TEL +81-87-823-1711