Kitsch, otaku (“geek”) and kawaii (cuteness, sometimes super-girly hyper-cuteness) – are all stereotypes frequently attributed to contemporary Japanese culture. It is true to say that Japanese society often embraces such images of itself, and some Japanese artists, such as Takashi Murakami and Kaikai Kiki, respond to, or exploit, these trends, making them even more widespread. Yet is this the whole story? Does this kind of work actually represent the most significant and powerful art being made in Japan today?

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Tsuyoshi Ozawa is an intriguing Japan-grown contemporary artist. His works challenge the establishment and people’s existing systems, as well as perceptions about their daily lives. Yet Ozawa also approaches these issues with both gentle humour and clever irony, quite often throwing his viewers, with great relish, into a maze of the actual and the virtual: for example in works such as his Museum of Soy Sauce Art, a parodic look at Japanese art history, or his long running Vegetable Weapons project.

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Atsuko Tanaka was one of the foremost members of Gutai, a group which focussed on experimental art forms, their manifesto proclaiming a new relationship between the materials and the human spirit. Within this primarily male-orientated group, Tanaka was particularly unconventional and stood out from the other Gutai members, as indeed she did from other international avant-garde artists of her time. This was due not only to her radical and metaphorical expression, but also the relationship between the body of work created especially between 1953 and 1957, and her way of thinking.

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Katsumi Omori is one of the leading Japanese photographers working today. He has developed his career, displaying a distinguished technique and representation, by employing a seemingly straightforward action of documentation. His candid and faithful attitude towards his subjects and his unique sensitivity have won him acclaim both in Japan and overseas, receiving awards including the Excellence Award in the Canon New Cosmos of Photography in 1994.

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Life Friendly Residency with Yan Preston
25 July – 6 August
Open Studio: 5 & 6 August
Late Night Opening with the Artist: 5 August, 5pm - 7:30pm

Plus Life Friendly Events throughout the Summer

Chinese Arts Centre is delighted to announce the experimental ‘Life Friendly Project’ in collaboration with research consultancy Culture Probe, this summer. The Life Friendly Project attempts to explore how artists and art organisations can work in ways that have a positive (benign / restorative) impact on both human quality of life and on the natural world. This approach is in radical contrast to the low carbon economy eco-efficiency approach, which focuses on reducing negative impact. There is considerable evidence that eco-efficiency does not solve the climate change problem but only slows it down, and has other unintended negative consequences.



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Atsuko Tanaka (1932-2005) is without doubt one of Japan’s most important avant-garde artists. As a former member of the Gutai artist group which was founded in 1954, Tanaka has challenged the conventional notions of art through her powerful works including the iconic “Electric Dress”. Whether it be in paintings, sculpture, electric sound and light installations, or performance pieces, a commonality to Tanaka’s work is a distinct realism closely corresponding to her choice of materials.


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Date: 20 June 2011, 6.30pm
Venue: The Japan Foundation, London
Russell Square House
10-12 Russell Square
WC1B 5EH

Japanese artist Tadasu Takamine, formerly a member of radical performance group Dumb Type, continues to take a similarly radical, and often confrontational, approach to his work. In installation and performance, as well as theatrical productions, Takamine uses a variety of approaches and range of media including images, sound, and 3D objects, placing him in a unique position as an artist who is impossible to classify or pigeonhole. One commonality which can often be seen in his work though is an awareness of the relation between the body and expression.

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A 5 day series of workshops and lectures on the quintessential Chinese arts of the qin zither, weiqi (the game of Go), calligraphy and painting.

A concert featuring qin masterpieces, improvisation with live painting, the première of “Jieshi” for qin and string quartet by award winning composer Raymond Yiu; performed by Li Xiangting, Cheng Yu (President of the London Youlan Qin Society) and the English Chamber Orchestra.

Taught by: Li Xiangting, China’s greatest qin master.
Go expert Tony Atkins of the British Go Association,
and Chinese calligrapher and painter Guo Le.

Participants will receive a special booklet on the
Chinese Four Arts, to complement the classes.

COSTS
British Museum:
All events over the 3 days: £80/£65
Lecture: £5/£3
Concert: £5/£3

SOAS:
All events over the 2 days: £55/45 (SOAS students/staff £35)



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David Tse talks about Contemporary Asian Theatre on the Global Stage on Hong Kong's RTHK Radio 3. To listen, visit the following website and click the appropriate audio option.

Morning Brew on RTHK

HIBIKI AT WWW.KINGSPLACE.CO.UK

Hibiki: Resonances from Japan - 3 - 5 March
East meets West in North London as we welcome acclaimed artists: Mayumi Miyata (sho), Michiyo Yagi (koto) and the Kimura & Ono DUO (tsugaru-shamisen, fue) to Kings Place.

This series of concerts promises to deliver unique boundary pushing experiences in reflecting Japan's own rich musical heritage and fast-moving modern culture.



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