Japanese Impressions
The third exhibition of the autumn panel of Sofia Paper Art Fest 2024 and Biennial for Paper Art opened at Gallery Mazda. Star Motors Bulgaria is the longest-standing partner of the festival in presenting contemporary Japanese art, turning its showroom into an art destination. The project, which has become a tradition over the years, annually pleases the audience with elegant exhibitions, attractive accompanying events, demonstrations and workshops.
Amateras Foundation will present a series of events during the 35th Days of Japanese Culture in Bulgaria, celebrating three important anniversaries in the bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Japan – 115 years since the first official contacts, 85 years since the establishment and 65 years since the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“Japanese Impressions” includes 15 artists, most of them showing their works for the first time in Bulgaria. The collection is a joint curatorial project of the Amateras Foundation and NEXUS Association, curated by Kakuko Ishii and Daniela Todorova, a long-standing team that has organized various exhibitions with a large number of artists in both countries.
The exhibition features:
Atsumi Murata, known for her calligraphies on original washi paper. Her demonstration and short presentation of specific calligraphic styles will be part of the opening of the exhibition. Over the years, she has won several prestigious awards at the festival, and in 2014, the Amateras Grand Prize;
Eiko Nagamine attracts attention with a large-scale installation made of paper folded structures spilling out like a white waterfall;
Asuza Takaso, inspired by mysticism in Japan’s earliest history, shows an important trend in Japanese contemporary ceramics;
Masaaki Tate brings tranquility and harmony with his exquisite abstract panels, creating a sense of universe;
Mayumi Tsukuda, remaining true to ancient basketry technique, complements the whiteness with elegant, structural form;
Mitsue Ito shows a textile panel that captivates the viewer with its flight into space, where air and matter are in perfect harmony;
Namuo Masuda is the group’s coryphaeus, a near-centenarian who impresses with his monumental digital works, respectable for their rich picturesqueness and restrained composition;
Noriko Amano gracefully fits in with her white objects embodying the perfection of the plant world;
Ruri Kobayashi adds to the variety of techniques with a silk panel created from two techniques –“mugen” and Itajime Shibori, transpiring in certain areas;
Sara Yagi is a young artist fascinated by the small format of objects with fine detail;
Shinichi Ishihara presents exquisite abstract watercolors;
Tamaki Sato will complete the collection with ethereal calligraphic scrolls;
Yasuko Iyanaga surprises with her unique textile sculpture dedicated to the marine world;
Yoshio Ikezaki focuses on the spirit and relief of the Earth;
Yuki Tsuboyama’s installation is an expressive impression dedicated to environmental preservation.
This whole spectacular collection is completed by the installation of Chikayo Aritaka, a connoisseur of old Japanese textile techniques. On September 6 at 6 p.m., she will present the Mizuhiki technique in a workshop.
The exhibition is opened by Mr. Shinozawa, Counsellor in Embassy of Japan in Bulgaria, and Mr. Muraki, Cultural Affairs Counsellor, in the presence of a group of Japanese artists who have specially arrived for the events: Atsumi Murata, Chikayo Aritaka, Eiko Nagamine, Tomoko Tanaka, Kakuko Ishii, Ichiro Matsuo, Toru Kurita, Jiyoung Moon, and Nobuko Ueda.
The exhibition is on view in the period of September 5–28, 2024.
The partners of the project are Ministry of Culture, Embassy of Japan in Bulgaria, NEXUS, and Sofia Municipality.
The exhibition is realized with the financial support of Star Motors Bulgaria, programs “Visual Arts” of the Ministry of Culture, “Creation ’23” by the National Culture Fund, and the Calendar of Cultural Events of Sofia Municipality 2024.