Salford welcomes Japanese art exhibition

An impressive collection of Japanese art is on display at Salford Museum and Art Gallery, with work from more than 15 artists.

The exhibit was originally displayed on January 18, however The Japan Foundation held a private viewing of the collection on Wednesday January 29.

The Superlative Artistry of Japan is a traveling exhibition which shows a wide variety of artwork from pottery to detailed paintings and sculptures.

Cabbage design bowls. Image credit Tyler Ralphs

Fictional landscape. Image credit Tyler Ralphs

Silk embroidery piece. Image credit Tyler Ralphs

Fine art students at The University of Salford had also created pieces inspired by the artwork of Kimiyo Mishima, Naoki Nishiwaki and other Japanese artists.
These projects were also on display.

The Japan Foundation said that the event “presents a cohesive collection of works and materials from various different genres that each place great emphasis on highly skilled techniques, ingenious expressions and concepts, and a high level of perfection that takes viewers by surprise.

“Viewers will be able to appreciate this specific part of Japan’s culture that honors craftsmanship and has constantly shown a thorough sense of meticulousness and devotion towards production process”.

'The Superlative Artistry of Japan' is open now until the 19th of April, accompanied by responses from Fine Art students from @SalfordUni. Here's another peak! #Japaneseart #kogei https://t.co/onMf1r4mt3 pic.twitter.com/mQgxAA10VX

— Salford Museum & Art Gallery (@SalfordMuseum) January 19, 2020

At the private viewing, work by Yasuhiro Suzuki, which presented a collection of clay bowls designed to look like cabbages, were described as “beautiful but simple”.

A piece by Yamaguchi Akira demonstrated a satire of Japanese culture in a painting, which showed an expressionist view of a busy department store in a contemporary age.

A viewer at the event described the piece, saying: “it’s funny and elaborate looking, but also slightly cynical because all of the people look so busy and either miserable or angry”.

Other artwork by Yasunobu Nose showed quirky sculptures of sushi, noodles and other traditional Japanese dishes in a collection called ‘The Japanese Who Eat With Their Eyes – The Birth of Food Samples’.

The exhibition will be available to view for free at the Salford Museum and Art Gallery until April 19 2020.