Japanese Young Artists’ Portfolios

A number of young artists came to display their portfolios to potential gallery hosts and art critics during View of Artist, held on 5 November 2011 at The National Museum of Art in Osaka. Seven of them have been given the chance to talk about their work. The others have counted on their artistic files to attract an audience. We made a selection of a few names of artists whose works made an impact on us. Learn about:

Mami MATSUTANI’s hair works here ( click on green 16 )

Hiromi MARUO’s litographs here

Kazuhito MAEKAWA’s textile works here

Satoshi KUNIMASA’s geometric fiber works here

Chie SAKAI’s material world here

New Purchase - Creatives in Japan

Recently, a publication caught my eye: Creatives in Japan – keywords to know the front line of creatives in Japan. Let me tell you why.

Creatives in Japan © BNN, Inc  2010,  © Gradation Blue

Purchased at Junkudo on Shijodoori, Kyoto in October 2011

There is no such thing as a shortage of publications in Japan. On the contrary, upon entering most bookshops, one feels that all possible subjects have already found a publisher and a buyer. Books, magazines, magazines, books, all colours, all sizes, all textures. The million-copies best-seller how to clean the house effectively competing against the whole technology section, the Fukushima nuclear disaster special corner, the hard-to-find German literature shelf, the dazzling leadership books or the indispensable companions to anger management, the girls and ribbons glitter multi-section at all exits. Plus hundreds of good publications dedicated to art, photography, design, new media. Just close your eyes and take your pick.

Yet, how much is it globally known about creativity today in Japan? Without reading Japanese, without being in Japan, the access to Japan’s creative contemporariness is rather restricted, for in truth, bilingual editions and foreign translations are excessively rare. Finally, this problem has been given proper consideration. In 2010, the creative journal Quotation’s editor-in-chief Toru Hachiga launched the special edition Creatives in Japan – keywords to know the front line of creatives in Japan.

With 186 pages of information on people, places, media/products, comprising images of creative works and concise profiles, Creatives in Japan is an enjoyable Japanese-English bilingual publication on young artists and serious ideas, and a promising undertaking in the right direction.

We have been expecting such a publication for quite a while. Thank you, Toru, Quotation, BNN and Gradation Blue.

BNN international also has a cool English-language blog on various topics about design in Japan. You can visit the blog here.

For those interested to purchase Creatives in Japan see more on:

Waterstones.com here
amazon.com here
amazon.co.uk here .

Enjoy !