Believe it or not, this is the 150th year of diplomatic relations between Japan and Switzerland. Who knew? While the ambassadors don black tie and start dishing out the Ferrero Rocher, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich has put together an exhibition looking at the differences between Western and Japanese poster art.
Poetical, sensual and mystical are all words used to describe Japanese posters. Whereas in the West a large proportion of posters are tools for marketing and sales, those from the Far East offer a release from the constant pressure of modern consumerism, creating instead brief moments of visual calm and beauty in the otherwise frenetic existence of commuters. Japanese Poster Artists: Cherry Blossom and Asceticism contains over 300 works from the discipline’s 60-something year history in Japan, showcasing the search for a balance between the decoratively elaborate and the boldly simple. The exhibition, which is on now and runs until 25 May, will include a piano concert by Satoko Inoue, a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, workshops and talks – details of the programme are available from the gallery.
Kazumasa Nagai,
’89 Himeji Shirotopia exhibition, poster, 1988,
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich,
Poster Collection
Japanese Poster Artists
Cherry Blossom and Asceticism
at Museum für Gestaltung Zürich,
12 February to 25 May 2014,
Photo: Regula Bearth, © ZHdK
Makoto Saito,
Virgin Japan,
photo: Eiichiro Sakata, poster, 1991,
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich,
Poster Collection
Masami Shimizu/Naoki Nomura/Köbi Kobayashi,
poster, ca. 1994,
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich,
Poster Collection
Japanese Poster Artists
Cherry Blossom and Asceticism
at Museum für Gestaltung Zürich,
12 February to 25 May 2014,
Photo: Regula Bearth, © ZHdK
Rikako Nagashima,
Be noisy. Laforet, poster, 2012,
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich,
Poster Collection
Shigeo Fukuda,
Victory 1945, poster, 1975,
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich,
Poster Collection
Japanese Poster Artists
Cherry Blossom and Asceticism
at Museum für Gestaltung Zürich,
12 February to 25 May 2014,
Photo: Regula Bearth, © ZHdK
Masami Shimizu,
Vivre, poster, 1992,
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich,
Poster Collection
Ikko Tanaka,
The 200th anniversary of Sharaku, poster, 1995,
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich,
Poster Collection
Japanese Poster Artists
Cherry Blossom and Asceticism
at Museum für Gestaltung Zürich,
12 February to 25 May 2014,
Photo: Regula Bearth, © ZHdK
