Subtle - subtleties on paper

Familiar and accessible, paper is presented in innovative creations that stir your senses through multiple and sophisticated design and technology experiences. Curated and with art direction by the designer Kenya Hara - who is responsible for the general guidelines of the three JAPAN HOUSES in the world, the exhibit bears the mark of Japanese minimalism and invites the viewer to observe each item in detail, soaking in features that are not evident at first glance.

The creations rescue and deepen the fascination for paper by showing its diversity of textures, colors, techniques, and applications. There are subtle, delicate, and light items, such as washi, Japanese paper considered a national treasure of Japan, which is handmade using traditional techniques.

The exhibit features 27 creations that rescue and deepen the fascination for paper by highlighting its diversity in textures, colors, techniques, and applications. The expository approach is divided into four axes: The first - SUBTLE | CREATION - is dedicated to creations conceived by people who have a deep understanding of the potential and particularities of paper and who expressed their ideas in a unique and absolutely subtle manner. Among them are architects, designers, artists, and art and animation directors. The second - SUBTLE | COLLECTION - reveals a collection that has examples that invite visitors to search their own experiences and memories related to the material, such as paper lace, paper folding, and envelopes.

The third - PAPER: A PORTRAIT - is an exhibit by the photographer Yoshihiko Ueda who translates the Japanese passion for the material, registering it with nothing but the play between light and subtle paper textures and folds. And, finally, SPECIAL PAPERS -, presenting the ongoing technological developments made with paper and the trends of the special paper industry in Japan, through works created by the architecture firm noiz (renowned architectural design agency in Tokyo) that showcases a new appeal by means of NT RASHA and BIOTOPE GA-FS, two special papers developed by Takeo Paper.

The first, NT RASHA | TONE OF GRAVITY, is made of NT RASHA - a special paper pattern pioneered in Japan that was launched in 1949 and is currently produced in 120 colors. The material stands out for its classic texture, softness, and for being the most recommended when you want to emphasize the material’s most basic qualities. In this case, noiz designed a piece based on the idea of the gravitational field, in which three colors (white, black, and red), positioned in peaks, communicate the NT RASHA worldview, with algorithmically determined gradations.

The second, BIOTOPE GA - FS | THE BOOK OF THE LANGUAGE is a book made with long, robust fiber paper whose design is inspired by nature and features a rectangular cut in the middle of each page, leaving the side adjacent to the spine uncut. The technique creates a unique effect in which the colored pages seem to jump from the open space of the book as if they were a language and remind you of different geological layers, combining curves and colors that, together, give the piece a distinct, sober tone.

This exhibit was featured at the iconic Takeo Paper Show, an event dedicated to the paper universe that has taken place in Japan since 1965. Outside Japan, the exhibit has already visited Taipei and Milan. Subtle - Subtleties on Paper is the first itinerant exhibition of the JAPAN HOUSE initiative selected in Japan. After the exhibition in São Paulo, it will go to London and Los Angeles.

Subtle - Subtleties on Paper
July 29 to September 10
JAPAN HOUSE São Paulo – Avenida Paulista, 52 – Second floor
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Saturday: from 10 am to 10 pm
Sundays and public holidays: from 10 am to 6 pm
Free admission
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TAKEO PAPER www.takeopapershow.com/en
Collaboration:
TORAFU ARCHITECTS torafu.com/
FUKUNAGA SHIKO / KAMI NO KOUSAKUJO www.kaminokousakujo.jp/