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Great New Wave

Contemporary Art from Japan

Catch the new wave of contemporary art from Japan with work from six artists who explore issues of personal and cultural identity in today’s evolving global world.

Each artist articulates aspects of this complex theme from their own unique perspective through a variety of media, including drawing, installation, photography, sculpture, textile, and video. For several of the artists, this is the first presentation of their work in Canada. In the work of Sayaka Akiyama we see her negotiation of social and urban space by embroidering textile based maps and paper works that diary her daily encounters reflecting her emotional and physical reaction to visiting a foreign landscape.

Manabu Ikeda, an emerging artist explores his relationship to nature and home through exquisitely detailed and elaborate drawings depicting scenes from his imagination that draw from cataclysmic social, political, and geographic events. As part of this exhibition, artist Yoshiaki Kaihatsu has travelled from Japan to build a stunning teahouse out of styrofoam packing material donated by residents of Victoria. The reclaimed styrofoam, considered garbage once its role as protector of precious objects is complete, allows Kaihatsu to comment on our excessive consumer culture. Meet Kaihatsu at the opening on January 28 or at his artist talk on January 30 at 1 pm. Kohei Nawa’s PixCell series references global economies and our reliance on the digital experience with his surprising recasting of everyday objects ordered from the Internet. Miwa Yanagi reconsiders the implications of age and beauty from a female perspective in her Grandmothers project. Tabaimo explores the darker side of contemporary animation and urban life in a vivid video installation that invites the visitor to escape reality and experience animated views of Japanese culture.

The new work featured in Great New Wave reflects an acute consciousness of cultural tradition while proposing visions of a globalized future. The project is accompanied by a major catalogue featuring curatorial essays from Lisa Baldissera and Sara Knelman. This exhibition is a collaboration with Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and the Art Gallery of Hamilton.

Members/Sponsor Opening 6:30 Tour & Reception to follow
Public Opening 7:30 with Opening Remarks