Exhibition/event has ended.
"An Island of Memories -Japan through the lens of Taro Okamoto and Tsuneichi Miyamoto" Exhibition
Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki
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Artists
Tsuneichi MIyamoto, Taro Okamoto
Starting in the year 1957, Taro Okamoto travelled all over Japan with a camera in his hand for his editorial series Geijutsu Fudoki (Geographic Records on Art) in Geijutsu Shincho magazine. Up until 1966, he journeyed around Japan from the far north of Hokkaido to the far south of Okinawa, leaving behind numerous photos in record. When the writings and photos from the interviews later became published as a book, the titles included the word "Japan". For example, "Rediscovering Japan - Geographic Records on Art", "The Forgotten Japan - Essay on culture in Okinawa", "Mystical Japan", and so on. Therefore, we can perhaps say that Taro's expedition in Japan was a journey to search for the essence of the country.
The folklorist Tsuneichi Miyamoto was someone who travelled around Japan even more than Taro Okamoto. Through the extensive journeys which Miyamoto began before the war, he examined and researched the lives of the populace in detail. Keizo Shibusawa, a businessman and folklorist, supported Miyamoto as a mentor both personally and professionally. Shibusawa commented on the traces of Miyamoto's journey: "If you mark Mr. Miyamoto's footsteps with red ink on a white map of Japan, it will be colored in bright red". Miyamoto left behind numerous photos through his diverse research. He referred to photography as an "island of memories", considered it to be an important tool for folklore, and led the connection to photography folklore (or visual anthropology).
On the other hand, Taro Okamoto studied ethnology during his stay in Paris at the University of Paris, under Marcel Mauss (1872-1950). After the war, in an interview with the photographer Ken Domon, Okamoto stated: "Photography is about capturing a coincidence coincidentally, and turning it into a necessity". Okamoto's photos are backed up by the intuition of an artist, and the observation skills of an ethnologist.
This exhibit aims to rediscover what the current Japanese people have lost, through Japan and the populace visible in the photography of Okamoto and Miyamoto.
The folklorist Tsuneichi Miyamoto was someone who travelled around Japan even more than Taro Okamoto. Through the extensive journeys which Miyamoto began before the war, he examined and researched the lives of the populace in detail. Keizo Shibusawa, a businessman and folklorist, supported Miyamoto as a mentor both personally and professionally. Shibusawa commented on the traces of Miyamoto's journey: "If you mark Mr. Miyamoto's footsteps with red ink on a white map of Japan, it will be colored in bright red". Miyamoto left behind numerous photos through his diverse research. He referred to photography as an "island of memories", considered it to be an important tool for folklore, and led the connection to photography folklore (or visual anthropology).
On the other hand, Taro Okamoto studied ethnology during his stay in Paris at the University of Paris, under Marcel Mauss (1872-1950). After the war, in an interview with the photographer Ken Domon, Okamoto stated: "Photography is about capturing a coincidence coincidentally, and turning it into a necessity". Okamoto's photos are backed up by the intuition of an artist, and the observation skills of an ethnologist.
This exhibit aims to rediscover what the current Japanese people have lost, through Japan and the populace visible in the photography of Okamoto and Miyamoto.
Schedule | Jul 21 (Sat) 2012-Oct 8 (Mon) 2012 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Adult ¥800, University and High School Students and visitors aged 65 or over carrying proof of age ¥600 | ||||||
| Venue | Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki http://www.taromuseum.jp/index_english.html  | ||||||
| Location | 7-1-5 Masukata, Tama-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 214-0032 | ||||||
| Access | 17 minute walk from the South exit of Mukogaoka-yuen Station on the Odakyu line; From the South exit of Mukogaoka-yuen Station, take the bus and get off at Ikuta Ryokuchi Iriguchi. The venue is 8 minute walk from there. | ||||||
| Phone | 044-900-9898 | ||||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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