JAPAN 47 ARTISANS

‘JAPAN 47 ARTISANS’ FEATURES PIECES THAT TELL A LITTLE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE 47 JAPANESE PROVINCES

Combining design, crafts, contemporaneity and tradition, Japan House São Paulo presents JAPAN 47 ARTISANS, an exhibition scheduled for April 22 to July 17, curated by the Japanese designer Kenmei Nagaoka, from D&DEPARTMENT PROJECT. The second floor of the cultural center is the setting for discoveries resulting from a contemporary Japan that never abandons its traditions, to be revealed in its characteristics, abilities and sensibilities, through pieces made by artisans from the 47 provinces that make up Japan.

JAPAN 47 ARTISANS traces a broad overview of crafts in present-day Japan, with items that reveal the individual histories and characteristics of the provinces and use typical designs, including subverting them. At first glance, items may seem distant from the typical regionality, but the starting point for these artisans in their creations are often the memories of their homeland, the materials and techniques inherited from the many centuries of knowledge.

“Taking the history and atmosphere of each region into account, including traditional crafts and the local industry, these artisans blend their own creativity and society’s needs in a balanced way, expressing themselves in the form of containers and utensils,” says Kenmei Nagaoka.

Piece selection emphasizes that design is not related to unbridled consumption, rather to valuing quality objects that tell a story.

To help achieve singularities and tell these stories, exhibition pieces are divided into five clusters that make up the geographical areas of Japan: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa.

“The exhibition is a visual form of presenting to the audience an overview of the 47 Japanese provinces, translated through contemporary objects that follow traditional precepts in their technique or in the choice of materials. It is another example of this greatly important harmony there is between the past and the present in Japanese culture,” says Japan House São Paulo cultural director Natasha Barzaghi Geenen.

The JAPAN 47 ARTISANS program will include the “Contemporary Crafts of Japan” lecture, which will feature the details of the exhibition with a focus on the productive processes. The event will be coordinated by D&DEPARTMENT PROJECT vice president Mitsuko Matsuzoe, who dedicates himself to researching the particularities of the Japanese provinces.

JAPAN 47 ARTISANS enhances the understanding of contemporary Japan, in addition to demonstrating the appreciation and respect that the Japanese culture has for its millennial knowledge and its constantly improving techniques.

About D&DEPARTMENT PROJECT
D&DEPARTMENT PROJECT – founded in Tokyo in 2000 – carries out activities to review and present some of the peculiarities of the 47 Japanese provinces, including their typical designs. Created by the designer Kenmei Nagaoka, the space comprising a museum, shop, and restaurant proposes to convey the sensibilities, skills and individual characteristics of present-day Japan. All activities are carried out under the Long Life Design concept, which is not only about design, but also about the influence that the environment, productive processes, and forms of sale exert on objects that continue being produced regularly.

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JAPAN 47 ARTISANS
Japan House São Paulo – Avenida Paulista, 52 
April 22 to July 17, 2019
Second floor
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday: 10am to 8pm
Sundays and public holidays: 10am to 6pm
Free admission
Check out the program at www.facebook.com/JapanHouseSP/