日本现代主义 · 从女性视角看社会变革

Japanese cut glass tumblers (circa 1930).Each tumbler is unique, hand-cut and represents the strong influence of the art deco movement on Japanese decorative arts at the time.Explaining the gallery’s newest exhibition, assistant curator of Asian art at theNational Gallery of Victoria, Annika Aitken, wanted to explore a period of Japanese history often forgotten about.During the two-decade period between the devastation of the Great Kanto Earthquake (1923) and the Pacific War (1941–45),Tokyoand Osaka became some of the most modern metropolises in the world. Cafés, department stores, cinemas and high-tech public transport systems were introduced, creating new jobs and a new consumer-led lifestyle forJapan’syouth, she explains, setting the scene for the context of the gallery’s newest exhibition. Many young women became increasingly financially and socially liberated, able break away from the traditional cultural and social expectations placed on them. It’s an important story to tell. It’s also a period that Australian audiences don’t know a lot about, despite a strong interest in contemporary Japanese art and design.Exploring the objects chosen to be displayed for the exhibit, Aitken says it was all about showing a diverse mix of household, beauty and fashion items which represented the day-to-day life of Japanese women at the time.The objects selected for theJapanese Modernismexhibition really capture the vitality and optimism of this important moment of social and cultural transition. A variety of mediums and art forms have been included to provide a holistic overview of the period, comprising painting, fashion and accessories (including a ‘30s Shiseidō powder compact, pictured below), prints, graphic design, publishing, travel ephemera and decorative arts. Every object in the exhibition is part of the NGV’s permanent collection – the result of more than five years of researching and collecting.The modernist fashion and graphic design on display in this exhibition really represents the nascence of Japan’s contemporary design movement, which is so highly regarded internationally today.Visitors will be introduced to this vibrant period of Japan’s history through more than 200 items that have never been seen in Australia before.Scroll down for a first look at the NGV’sJapanese Modernism, a free exhibition on display from 28 February 2020 until 4 October 2020.Jazz dancer(1934) by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi,set of five lidded bowls with check design(circa 1930), beaded hangbag (circa 1930).Obi sash with geometric design and accessoriesand music score cover forThe Song of Melancholic Flowers(both circa 1930).Guide to UnzenbyYoshida Hatsusaburō(1930) from theEight Views of Japanseries,hand-printed gift envelopes, cut glass tumbler(all circa 1930).Set of five lidded bowls with spinning top design, sandals and parasol (all circa 1930).Landslide in front of the Hodogaya Tunnel on the Tōkaidōby Oda Kanchō(1924)fromThe Taishō Great Earthquake Folio.Sandals andaccessoriescirca 1930.Powder compact byTogo Seiji for Club Cosmetics, powder compact by Sano Shigejiro for Papilio, Poudre Nouveu Cappi powder compact for Tabata Hōkōen, powder compact byYamano Ayao for Shiseidō(all circa 1930).Hairpins (circa 1930).Visit: