Japanese Prints
images from the floating world

30 April - 20 June 2004

The ukiyo-e (floating world pictures) print tradition flourished in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1867). It was a style of popular art that reflected the spirit and philosophy of a new urban culture, which sought to embrace life more fully and celebrate the present. Beauty and pleasure were valued above all because they belonged to the passing moment. Beautiful women and celebrity actors joined the motifs of the seasons as the most celebrated symbols of transient delight. It is this realm of popular entertainment, fantasy and desire that is portrayed through Japanese prints: Images from the floating world.

The exhibition also includes a number of twentieth century prints. The majority of these are from the shin-hanga (new print) movement (c.1915-30s) which revived the style, technique and subject of the ukiyo-e prints within the context of modern Japan. The exhibition displays publicly for the first time over 100 exquisite Japanese woodblock prints from the collection of Brian and Barbara Crisp, which is being donated to the Gallery in memory of their son Andrew.

Curator: Jane Messenger, Assistant Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs.

GUIDED TOURS

Thursday at 1 pm   |   Saturday & Sunday at 3 pm
Tours are free with exhibition entry

LUNCHTIME TALKS

Tuesday 4 May at 12.45 pm
Jane Messenger speaks about Hiroshige’s landscape prints in the exhibition

Tuesday 1 June at 12.45 pm
Martina Taeker, published poet, will speak about selected works in the exhibition with special reference to Japanese culture and literature, in particular tanka and haiku poetry

Tuesday 8 June at 12.45
Jane Messenger speaks about the prints of beautiful women and the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter in the exhibition

Tuesday 15 June at 12.45
David Button, an expert in the field of Japanese prints and restoration speaks about the shin-hanga prints in the exhibition

Exhibition entry fees apply

Saturday 22 May
Images from the floating world at 1.30pm
Jane Messenger presents a free public lecture on the origins of the ukiyo-e print movement and its depictions of everyday life through the wood block prints featured in the exhibition.
Function Room 2

Saturday 22 May
Ayame Kai Dancers at 2.30pm
Join us for a performance by the beautiful Ayame Kai Dancers performing three traditional
Japanese dances, in the exhibition space. Entry charges apply

Thursday 6 May at 6 pm
Private Viewing: Japanese Prints: Images from the floating world
Jane Messenger introduces us to the ukiyo-e prints in this exquisite exhibition. The prints take as their subjects the popular culture of kabuki theatre: beautiful women and the pleasure quarter, heroes from history and legend, the landscape and surimono. Entry to exhibition and refreshments included in the ticket price. Tickets: $30, Members $25

Sunday 30 May at 11 am
Breaking the Code: writing within Japanese prints – Jennifer Harris
Jennifer Harris is currently studying for her MA in Art History and researching the Ichikawa Beian Pair of calligraphy screens. Jennifer is a teacher of Japanese language and a Gallery Guide and her presentation on the development, style and applications of Japanese scripts explains the importance of writing in the floating world prints.
Tickets: $16, Members $12

Sunday 30 May at 2 pm
The Floating World through text and music – Dr Kimi Coaldrake
This presentation brings to life people and places in the prints through music and word by showing how aesthetic and cultural themes in the prints resonate in music of the times. Kimi performs a selection of traditional and contemporary works for the Japanese koto (13 string zither) and presents writings by kabuki actors and geisha to tell their story of life in the floating world at the time of dramatic cultural transformation.
Tickets: $23, Members $18
Special offer: Buy tickets to both talks on 30 May and receive a free entry to the exhibition.

Saturday 12 June at 2.30 pm
Conversations with Friends - Martina Taeker, Writer and Poet
Martina Taeker is a writer and published poet who teaches creative writing. She has made a close study of the traditional Japanese poetic forms of haiku and tanka - as elegant and essential as the cherry blossom but more eternal. In association with the exhibition, Japanese Prints: Images from the floating world, Martina explains what has led her to explore these poetic forms.
Tickets: $12, Members $10

Bookings: call Yvonne on 8207 7050

Join us for our Eye Spy children’s tours and Family Drop in days. Enjoy the wonderful, exciting and intriguing art tours for children and the fun activities for all the family.

EYE SPY CLUB

Sunday 13 & 22 June at 3pm
The Girl with the Pearl Earring
Meet the special agents at the front desk on North Terrace at 3 pm

FAMILY DROP-IN DAYS

Children, mums and dads, grandparents and care-givers are all welcome to join us for free art & craft activities and special exhibition entry offers for families.

Sunday 25 April from 12-3pm
Origami Chuffs
Learn how to make a bird using the Japanese technique of origami. Suitable for children aged 5-10 years accompanied by a parent/carer at all times. For more information telephone  8207 7005

Sunday 23 May from 12-3pm
Japanese Prints
Potato printing of Japanese images to make your own wrapping paper. Suitable for children aged 5-10 years accompanied by a parent/carer at all times. For more information telephone  8207 7005

Proudly sponsored by ETSA Utilities

This exhibition offers ideal research potential in the key curriculum areas of Japanese Language and Asian Studies and for Japanese Focus schools /teachers/networks.

Teacher Briefing
Monday 10 May from 5.30 - 7pm, provided by Jane Messenger, the curator of the exhibition.
NOW FULLY BOOKED

Wednesday 12 May from 4.30 pm until 6 pm
PLACES STILL AVAILABLE
Bookings essential: Telephone: 8207 7033 or fax: 8207 7070

Education Pack
Click here to access as a microsoft word document or pdf document
A selection of Images from the exhibition is available as a pdf document

School group admission: $20 per class size group
(DECS Classified 1-4 schools and country schools receive free admission)

Education Officer and Guide bookings
Telephone: 8207 7033 or fax: 8207 7070

Bulletin notices in DECS DEXpress, flyer out through schools distribution to all schools

Enhance your understanding and enjoyment of Japanese Prints by enrolling in the Art Gallery of South Australia and University of Adelaide’s graduate course in Japanese Art History.

Evening classes begin May 24 and are held in the exhibition itself and at the University; taught by the Director, curators, University lecturers and other national experts. Learn all about Shinto and Buddhist sculpture, screen painting, Samurai sword mounts, ukiyo-e prints and trends in modern and contemporary Japanese art.

For more information about the Graduate Diploma/Masters courses, contact Greta Larsen telephone: 8303 3751, email Greta Larsen or visit the Adelaide University website

Free screenings of classic Japanese cinema masterpieces in the Art Gallery Auditorium

Saturday 5 June at 1.30 pm
Rashomon
A tale of murder in 12^th century Kyoto, shows how perception distorts reality to such an extent that truth does not exist, weaving together different accounts of the crime, involving a samurai, his wife and a bandit, as told by a woodcutter, a priest and a villager. This film cemented the career of famous Japanese director, Akira Kurosawa. B/W 83 mins (16mm) 1950 English subtitles

Saturday 12 June at 1.30 pm
Utamaro and His Five Women
The legendary 18th century woodblock print artist Utamaro Kitagawa was famous for his dynamic drawings of women that upset traditional aesthetics. The film shows how the artist's contact with one man and five women illustrates the value of self-fulfilment. B/W 95 mins (16mm) 1954 English subtitles

Saturday 19 June at 1.30 pm
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums
This drama set in the Meiji period concerns the life of an actor, the heir to a celebrated family, in the feudal-like insular and rigid world of kabuki theatre. With the support of his mistress, the actor becomes a great performer, however the mistress, rejected by her family, is no passive sufferer but endures her fate as an act of will. B/W 143 minutes (16mm) 1939 English subtitles

The Japanese Prints exhibition will be accompanied by beautifully illustrated catalogue. and is available from the bookshop for $29.95. Also available is a range of postcards, posters and gift ideas.

To see what other events and activities are on at the Gallery
click here to go to the Calendar of Events

Sunday 25 April
Midori no Hi
Green Day - for reflections on nature.
Tree planting and family day from 10.30am.
Meet at corner Robe Terrace and Medindie Road, North Adelaide.
Bring a picnic lunch

April 27,28 & 29
Japanese Film Festival
Union Cinema – 7.30pm each night
5^th Fl. Union Building, University of Adelaide
Tickets at the door

Sunday 2 May
Kodomo no Hi - Children’s Day
Family fun from martial arts to the tea ceremony!
Games, kites, origami, ikebana, bonsai & mochi making.
Japanese music, folk dancing & singing – lots more.
11am – 4pm at Cowandilla Primary School
presented by the Japan Australia Friendship Association
For further information call (08) 8370 8771