Japan Society to Present 'Transcending Time: Japanese Art & Technology' in January

Japanese art has an allure that transcends time, from the resplendent beauty of paintings on golden screens to the elegant lines of ikebana flower arrangements. In modern times, new technologies are revolutionizing our engagement with these art forms. High-precision replicas of precious paintings can be created, allowing the originals to be safely preserved, while still being accessible to the public. Meanwhile, contemporary artists are using technology to express traditional Japanese artistic concepts in novel ways.

 

In the first ever in-person installment of Living Traditions, a public forum that explores Japanese culture, Frank Feltens, Curator of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, and Japanese new media artist and Professor of Kyoto University Naoko Tosa, creator of Sounds of Ikebana, will examine the applications of technology in the world of Japanese art today. This conversation will be moderated by Monika Bincsik, Diane and Arthur Abbey Curator for Japanese Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

 

Program Details: This in-person event is free, with advance registration required.

 

Location: Japan Society, 333 East 47th St., New York, NY 10017

 

Date and Time: Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 6:30 pm ET

 

For more information visit:

https://japansociety.org/events/transcending-time-japanese-art-technology/

 

About the Living Traditions Series

Many of today's most popular and newest trends are rooted in ancient Japanese tradition going back centuries, if not millennia. The Living Traditions series unravels the historical journeys of some of the most iconic facets of Japanese culture through conversations between thought-provoking experts and cultural stewards on how they maintain deep-rooted traditions in the present day. Previous lectures focused on topics including Japanese gardens, Zen and spiritual practices, manga and anime and architecture. They can be viewed here.

Biographies:

Frank Feltens is Curator of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art. He holds a PhD in Japanese art history from Columbia University. Feltens is a specialist in Japanese painting with a focus on the late medieval and early modern periods. At NMAA, Feltens has organized a number of exhibitions, including Mind Over Matter: Zen in Medieval Japan (2022), Hokusai: Mad about Painting (2019/2022), and Japan Modern: Prints in the Age of Photography (2018–19). His books include Ogata Kōrin: Art in Early Modern Japan (Yale, 2021) and, with Yukio Lippit, Sesson Shūkei: A Zen Monk-Painter in Medieval Japan (Hirmer, 2021).

Naoko Tosa has been a Professor at Kyoto University since 2005. After receiving her PhD in art and technology research from the University of Tokyo she worked as a researcher at the ATR (Advanced Technology Research Labs) Media Integration & Communication Lab (1995-2001). As an Artist Fellow at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2001-2004), she established a new research theme, “Cultural Computing,” which has been widely accepted by researchers worldwide. Tosa's artwork has been shown and collected by the Museum of Modern Art. Also, her artwork has been exhibited by many museums such as the National Museum of Art in Osaka. In 2016, she was appointed as the 2016 Cultural Exchange Ambassador, visiting 10 cities in eight countries, and spent a month in in New York City, screening “Sound of Ikebana: Spring” on over 60 billboards in Times Square and conducting cultural exchanges. 

Monika Bincsik is Diane and Arthur Abbey Curator for Japanese Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. From 2008 to 2009 she was a Jane and Morgan Whitney Research Fellow at The Met. Later she worked as a research assistant at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, where she earned a second Ph.D. on Japanese lacquers. She has organized numerous exhibitions for the museum, notably Discovering Japanese Art: American Collectors and the Met (2015); Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection (2017); Kyoto: Capital of Artistic Imagination (2019); and Kimono Style: The John C. Weber Collection. She has published extensively on Japanese decorative arts and collecting history, recently in The Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated (2019) and Kimono Style: Edo Traditions to Modern Design (2022).

About Japan Society

Japan Society is the premier organization connecting Japanese arts, culture, business and society with audiences in New York and around the world. At Japan Society, we are inspired by the Japanese concept of kizuna (絆)–forging deep connections to bind people together. We are committed to telling the story of Japan while strengthening connections within New York City and building new bridges beyond. In over 100 years of work, we've inspired generations by establishing ourselves as pioneers in supporting international exchanges in arts and culture, business, and policy, as well as education between Japan and the U.S. We strive to convene important conversations on topics that bind our two countries together, champion the next generation of innovative creators, promote mutual understanding and serve as a trusted guide for people everywhere who seek to more fully appreciate the rich complexities and abundance of Japan. From our New York headquarters, a landmark building designed by architect Junzo Yoshimura that opened to the public in 1971, we look forward to the years ahead, which will be defined by our digital and ideational impact through the kizuna that we build. Our future can only be enhanced by learning from our peers and engaging with our audiences, both near and far.

 

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For further information, please visit www.japansociety.org.

 

 

About Portland Japanese Garden:

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland and the state of Oregon, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and among the foremost Japanese cultural organizations in the world.  

 

About Japan Institute:

Japan Institute was established in 2022 as a global cultural initiative of Portland Japanese Garden. This sibling organization is the programmatic arm of Portland Japanese Garden, allowing us to share and expand our cultural programs more broadly around the world, deepen international partnerships, and continue to engage diverse people in shared experiences and conversations about peace, beauty, and connection of nature. Japan Institute consists of three centers: Global Center for Culture and Art, International Exchange Forum, and International Japanese Garden Training Center. 

 

Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute share the mission: 

 

Inspiring Harmony & Peace 

 

 

Connect With Portland Japanese Garden!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. For further information, please visit www.japanesegarden.org

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