Informal pictures from a show earlier this month of shirts from the Nui Project at Gallery Gallery, Kyoto Japan.
23.1.10
Nui Project – at Gallery Gallery, Kyoto
22.1.10
Mr Masao Obata - obituary
On January 2, 2010, one of Japan’s master self-taught artists, Masao Obata, passed away.
He was 66 years old.
He had lived much of his adult life in an institution. Cared for by a supportive staff, Mr Obata created a large body of work that will be his legacy.
For more information about Masao Obata, click on his name on the link to the side.
He was 66 years old.
He had lived much of his adult life in an institution. Cared for by a supportive staff, Mr Obata created a large body of work that will be his legacy.
For more information about Masao Obata, click on his name on the link to the side.
Contemporary Japanese Ceramics – tweaking tradition
In Japan, ceramic artists and designers develop new forms by building on concepts ancient and tested.
Vessels being made today are current in their look and feel, yet the form language of these ceramic objects is influenced by traditional work.
Small intimate shops present ceramic art in every city in Japan.
To see more examples of contemporary Japanese ceramics, click here to visit Savoir Vivre, a Tokyo based ceramic shop
20.1.10
Dili, East Timor – a Christmas manger of bottles
This unexpected structure, made primarily of plastic water bottles, is a Christmas manger (most of the nativity figures have been removed). East Timor is the only island in the region with a majority Catholic population.
The manger was built on a traffic circle in Dili, the capital of the country.
17.1.10
Indonesian Shadow puppets – a modern twist
The shadow puppet art form is an ancient one. Performed in Java and Bali, one use of this art was to teach the difference between good and evil.
On the one side of the group of puppets were the good figures, on the other side the bad.
During the fight for independence the Indonesian resistance took their message to the people through the shadow puppet play.
Contemporary figures, the Dutch and the Indonesian freedom fighters, replaced the traditional good and evil princes and attendants.
This is an example of one of the rare remaining sets.
click on pictures for a larger view
16.1.10
Mid - century Modern – Southeast Asia
In Southeast Asia, an uncommon type of modern architecture developed in the middle of the 20th century.
Responding to an environment of extreme heat and light, Southeast Asia architects extended the facades of the building they designed. In addition, dynamic angles, which appear decorative, are actually functional, deflecting light and creating cool midday shadows. These structures take on a look that is distinct and complex.
Today buildings from this era are at risk of demolition. Neglected and in prime locations, many have been pulled down to make way for larger high rise structures. Yet occasionally, a thoughtful developer recognizes the merits of such buildings and restores one.
12.1.10
Kantha: The Embroidered Quilts of Bengal – an exhibition review
“Ultimately, the granular delicacy and density of the embroidery - the thousands of stitches in each quilt - make a typical top-end kantha a masterpiece of world art.”
Edward Sozanski, Philadelphia Inquirer, Jun. 1, 2010
click here to read the review
Kantha: The Embroidered Quilts of Bengal - on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (December 12, 2009 - July 25, 2010)
2.1.10
Montu Chitrakar
Montu Chitrakar creates scrolls with paints that he makes from natural materials found in his village. His narratives are both current and historic.
Like a contemporary performance artist, Montu sings the stories he illustrates on his scrolls.
To see many more works by Montu, click here
To read more about scroll painters from this village in India, click here
24.12.09
Sand Chedis – Wat Pan Tao, Chiang Mai, Thailand
These monumental forms are sand Chedis. Made of sand and reinforced with bamboo, these impressive structures are decorated with flags during the Song Kran Festival.
click on pictures for a larger image
12.12.09
Kantha: The Embroidered Quilts of Bengal from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz and the Stella Kramrisch Collections
This exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (December 12, 2009 - July 25, 2010) is the first comprehensive show of Kantha in the West.
Stella Kramrisch was one of the most influential art historians in the field of Indian Art. Her career lasted through most of the twentieth century. She recognized Kantha as an important art form, collecting them and writing about them in the 1930’s and 40s.
Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz collect American Outsider art. In Kantha, which are made by self-taught artists, they saw the same spirit and vision as in the art they have acquired over the last 25 years.
Click here for information on this exhibition
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