Cultural exchange in Japanese Art

Spira Tlhankane | Friday July 29, 2016 12:45

 

Twenty permanent Japanese art exhibitions are on the road throughout the year, appearing in over 100 art galleries, museums and cultural facilities around the world. For the first time, Thapong Visual Arts Centre in Gaborone has been the beneficiary of this memorable exhibition.

The travelling exhibition that ended this week included a wide range of traditional Japanese beauty such as ceramic art and craft.

Local art experts have in the past outlined weaknesses in various categories and there is always a room for improvement with such exhibitions. The Japanese exhibition consists of creative artworks made in a workshop environment, which could enhance the cultural experience of local crafts makers and audiences.

Besides cultural exchange, there is a lot to learn from these artworks in terms of storytelling. The exhibition provided the handcrafted form of  traditions and techniques. It comprised craft objects such as ceramics, textiles, metal work, lacquerware, wood, bamboo crafts and paper.

Ceramics is a vital craft in Japan and among the artworks shown at the gallery was the Kasama ware, which has been in existence since 18th century. The iron-rich clay of the Kasama fires to reddish black, resulting in a ware that is simple. Japanese ceramicists have created contemporary eating utensils that make the most of the contrasting colours.

One of the most outstanding pieces of ceramics in the collection was a five piece streaked Inbe bowls with handles. They fall under the bizen ware, which is fired at high temperature for a long period of time in a pine-burning kiln. The bowls can be used in various settings like tea ceremonies. The ceramic section is probably the most outstanding of the collection.

Among the ceramics was a beautiful gouged-cut tea bowl with a white glaze. It was made from a mixture of three types of clay -Daido, Mitake and Mishima. It was glazed with a wood ash or rice-straw ash glaze.  The textile category was broadly divided in two types being yarn-dyed textiles and surface-dyed textiles. Among the ones displayed at the gallery was the Tokyo hand-drawn Yuzen (cloth-dyed-silk). The Yuzen dates back to the late 17th century and early 18th century and some of its designs are based on simplified flowers, birds and natural scenery.

Another part of the collection included Lacquerware, a broad term used to define Japanese art as whole. There were various types of Lacquerware such as Takaoka whose base is formed from cassia, magnolia and horse chestnut.  The collection also included wood and bamboo crafts that date back to the 4th century B.C.

The interesting aspect of this category is the Hakone Marquetry where numerous fragments of wood are fitted together then sliced through to form a slab. Marquetry has been known to feature delicate patterns juxtaposing different colours and grains of natural wood. In the gallery there was a sugary fine bamboo basketry bell-cricket.

In the glassware section, there was the Edo cut glass that is made by carving sharp patterns into clear, colourless surface of glass and used for drinking purposes. Papermaking was also a vital part of the collection and Edo decorated handmade paper can be used to cover lamps because of the ability to create an illusory mood. They were first made in the Heian period (794-1192) as imitations of decorated Chinese papers.

The travelling exhibition was organised by Embassy of Japan in Botswana as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.