A culturally significant exhibition has made its way to Karachi. The seven-day event, entitled Photographic Images and Matter-Japanese Prints of 1970s, opened last Tuesday at the Japan Information and Culture Centre.
The traveling show focuses on the art work of 14 artists who remain influential in the print movement of Japanese contemporary art.
The exhibition features two sections: ‘The age of photographic images’ which explores images in print, and ‘Images of autonomous matter’ which highlights works shaped by the intentions of matter.
Works are on display by the following artists: Tetsuya Noda, Kosuke Kimura, Akira Matsumoto, Satoshi Saito, Hideki Kimura, Sakumi Hagiwara, Jiro Takamatsu, Katsuro Yoshida, Koji Enokura, Shoichi Ida, Tatsuo Kawaguchi, Lee Ufan, Mitsuo Kano and Arinori Ichihara.
Odagiri Toshio, the Consul General of Japan, spoke at the opening ceremony and endorsed the exhibition. “We hope that the viewer will gain a deep understanding of contemporary art trends of the 1970s triggered by the print medium,” he said.
President of the Pakistan Japan Cultural Association (PJCA), Sindh, Sadia Rashid, underscored the artistic and cultural relevance the exhibition has as a contemporary gallery.
Upcoming visual artist, Rabia Farooqui, described print as a medium and technique. “Print as a medium as many mediums of art, has also evolved over time. It has endless possibilities,” she said.
She described the impact of artist Tetsuya Noda’s technique of creating prints of his family portraits. “His process was very multilayered and I can relate to it as my own process has many layers,” she continued.
“His work beautifully captures the impermanence of time which to date remains a relevant topic of discussion in the field of art. It is up to us and our imagination how we choose to make it relevant and relatable to our social environment,” she added.
Noor Jehan Bilgrami was the keynote speaker. She described the impact of her receiving the Japan Foundation Fellowship in 2001. “Japan for me is a country where the aesthetics are sublime. I experienced for the first time the sensibilities of the entire country dramatically change overnight with the changing seasons, the colours of their clothing, the shop interiors, umbrellas and the food all magically alter with the change in landscape colours,” she said.
Bilgrami also noted that she appreciated her teachers’ humility, deep connection with nature, and craft mastery.
The exhibition is running now through January 31st.