Just Your Imagination: Contemporary Works at the National Museum of Art, Osaka
Christopher Stephens
At first glance, the title of this exhibition, Nostalgia and Fantasy: Imagination and Its Origins in Contemporary Art (running through mid-September at the National Museum of Art, Osaka), seems so all-inclusive as to be nearly meaningless. In one way or another, aren't nostalgia and fantasy part of most works of art? Doesn't imagination lie at the heart of every creative expression? more...
Tsuneko Sasamoto: 100 Years, 100 Women
Lucy Birmingham
When asked what she thinks of turning 100 years old this month and being Japan's celebrated first female photojournalist, Tsuneko Sasamoto replies with a quick, honest answer, punctuated with a laugh: "I can't believe I've lived this long, and still photographing!" She then adds quietly, "There was a time I didn't want to go on living." more...
People Who Thrive on Glass Houses: SANAA and the Toledo Glass Pavilion
Alan Gleason
While the outside world's fascination with Japanese culture still tends to veer between the poles of traditional (ukiyo-e, ikebana, Zen) and pop (manga, anime, J-Pop), arguably the most groundbreaking work now coming out of Japan is in the field of architecture. Far from contenting themselves with appropriations or reworkings of styles that originated in the West, Japanese architects are the innovative leaders of the global pack these days, and the structures they design have begun to show up in unexpected places. more...
