Weekly Art News Digest: Museum of Forbidden Art, Oi Katsushika and Sapporo International Art Festival

Forbidden art finds new home in Barcelona

A new museum dedicated to censored art, Museu de l’Art Prohibit (Museum of Forbidden Art), opened its doors to the public in Barcelona on October 26. The key person behind the opening is Catalan journalist, entrepreneur, and art collector Tatxo Benet.

Benet started the ‘Censored’ collection in 2018 when he acquired the Presos Políticos en la España contemporánea (Political Prisoners in Modern-day Spain) by Santiago Sierra. The work, which depicts 24 pixelated portraits of imprisoned Catalan cultural, social, and political figures, was pulled from Spain’s international contemporary art fair ARCO (2018). Outraged by the censorship, Benet kept showing the work and expanded the collection, now including works by Ai Weiwei, Francisco de Goya, Pablo Picasso, Robert Mapplethorpe, Tania Bruguera, Andres Serrano, and many others.

The museum is housed in the Casa Garriga Nogués, a designated cultural asset of national significance located in the heart of Barcelona’s Eixample district. Built at the beginning of the 20th century, this Modernist architectural gem is the work of the architect Enric Sagnier and spans more than 2,000㎡ distributed across two floors. The museum’s collection comprises over 200 artworks censored, banned, or denounced for political, social, or religious reasons. Currently on display is The Statue of a Girl of Peace (2019) by Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, which forced the 2019 Aichi Triennale to shut down after three days and censor the After “Freedom of Expression”? exhibition.

Delicate hand-painted works of Oi Katsushika at the Ota Memorial Museum of Art

The Great Wave by Hokusai Katsushika is one of the most iconic Japanese ukiyo-e pieces that influenced countless artists, designers, and fashion brands. But this November, the Ota Memorial Museum of Art is shifting the focus to the hidden works of his daughter, Oi Katsushika.

Oi Katsushika was active as a painter in the early 19th century Edo period and also worked as a production assistant to her father. Although only approximately 10 of her works are known to exist in the world, their captivating beauty continues to attract the public’s attention. Among them, the Night Scene in the Yoshiwara is possibly one of her most famous hand-drawn paintings, capturing the light and darkness of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters. With several light sources in the scene, the illuminated figures emerge from the darkness and create a dreamlike atmosphere. This piece will be exhibited for the first time in three and a half years.

Unlike reproducible prints, the hand-painted paintings in this exhibition are one-of-a-kind works painted on paper or silk. Divided into four themes - “People,” “Common Life,” “Landscapes,” and “Stories” - the exhibition will introduce the unique works of Oi Katsushika, Utamaro Kitagawa, Kiyochika Kobayashi, Hiroshige Utagawa, and others. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the dramatic gradations, the beauty of the pigments, and the delicate brushstrokes of the ukiyo-e masters.

Oi Katsushika "'Night Scene in the Yoshiwara' -Charm of Hand Paintings"
Nov 1 (Wed) 2023-Nov 26 (Sun) 2023
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First winter Sapporo International Art Festival 2024 set to open in January

Launched in 2014, the Sapporo International Art Festival (SIAF) takes place every three years in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido. The 2024 edition will return after a break during the pandemic and will be the first to be held in winter. The festival is scheduled to run from January 20 to February 25, 2024, and will feature approximately 50 artists from more than 10 countries.

It is predicted that by the end of the 21st century, “snow” may have a completely different meaning. Under the theme “Last Snow,” the Sapporo International Art Festival 2024 aims to address the modern problems of our society by focusing on the transformation and the creation of a new future for the planet, society, community, and life.

One of the main venues, the Future Theatre (Higashi 1-chome Theatre), will be transformed into an exhibition space showcasing works by 16 artists and groups that look 100 years into the future. On the other hand, the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art will host the 1924-2024 Fragile [Handle with Care] exhibition to reflect on the past 100 years. Highlights include photographs by Yoshikuni Hirano (1944-1992), who documented North Sea fishermen, and images of the Tokyo Imperial University Settlement designed by Wajiro Kon.

The Sapporo Art Museum will present an exhibition that reinterprets the past and future of Sapporo as a city of media arts. Featuring a prolific art unit Maywa Denki, the exhibition will include elements that provide a comprehensive overview of Japanese media art. Moerenuma Park, located approximately 10 km from the city center, will become the venue for a futuristic sports events on February 23 and 24, during which participants will be invited to create new rules and tools based on the themes of snow, art and technology. The accompanying exhibition will feature a collaboration between Finnish artist Jussi Ängeslevä and Swiss artist unit AATB.

If you are travelling outside Tokyo, why not take the opportunity to visit the snowy capital of Japan's northern island and explore contemporary art. More details and ticket information are available on the official website.