A Tribute to the Spirit of Okinawa: Bashofu at the Okura Museum of Art
Susan Rogers Chikuba
A special exhibition at the Okura Museum of Art commemorating the 50th anniversary of the return of Okinawa to Japan featured the lifework of textile artist and Living National Treasure Toshiko Taira. At age 101 Taira still works with fellow weavers daily in her studio on the main island of Okinawa, transforming delicate plantain-fiber threads into the smooth, crisp, breathable fabric known as Kijoka Bashofu. more...
Art Is an Explosion! Revisiting the Incendiary Creations of Taro Okamoto
Christopher Stephens
At the time of his death in 1996, Taro Okamoto was probably the best-known modern artist in Japan. High-profile projects like Tower of the Sun (1970) had helped him capture the public imagination, but it was Okamoto's willingness to play up the image of the crazy artist that made him a household name. With a wild-eyed stare, Okamoto appeared regularly on TV variety shows and commercials, advertising everything from video cassettes to watches and whiskey, and uttering catchphrases like "Art is an explosion!" more...
The Eyes Have It: The Spirit-Visions of Miwa Komatsu
Alan Gleason
When Miwa Komatsu was a young girl growing up in the Chikuma River valley of Nagano Prefecture, a yamainu "mountain-dog" spirit would appear and give her guidance when she was lost or late getting home. Wolf-like cousins to the horned canine komainu who guard Japanese shrines, yamainu have figured in the country's folklore since time immemorial. These and other creatures of myth populate Komatsu's art as guardians of, and guides to, the vast spiritual realm that humans all too rarely access. more...
