Ukiyoe gendai: Ukiyo-e in play

Abstract

"Japanese woodcut printing technology developed independently within the culture of the Edo Period (1603-1867), leading to the advent of a powerful and flamboyant art genre known as ukiyo-e. The word 'ukiyo' means 'modern style,' and the ukiyo-e print was without a doubt a medium that brilliantly reflected its age and society. These advanced woodcut printing techniques, which gave rise to artists such as Sharaku, Utamaro, and Hokusai, have been passed down without interruption until the present day. The sharp lines and light colors of the prints, realized by rubbing sumi ink and water-based pigment on blocks of mountain cherry wood, are unparalleled. By constantly producing works that captured people's hearts of the period, the traditional technique continued to be handed down from one generation to the next. This exhibition presents contemporary ukiyo-e made by artists, designers, and other creators from a wide range of genres who are fascinated with the expressions of traditional woodcut printing. To realize the works, the participants assumed the role of contemporary e-shi and collaborated with carvers and printers from the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints. Making these works, a fusion of the diverse sensibilities of artists who are active all over the world, and traditional woodcut printing techniques was both a challenge for the carvers and printers, and a way of conveying the charms of the medium to people living in the present day"-- Greeting (page 5).