Gallery
Upcoming Exhibitions
The Sound of One Hand:
Paintings and Calligraphy by Zen Master Hakuin
October 1, 2010 – January 16, 2011
Widely acknowledged as the leading Zen master of the last five centuries, Hakuin Ekaku (1685–1768) was also the most significant Zen artist of his time. He not only expressed the mind and heart of Zen for monks and lay followers (it was he who first asked “What is the sound of one hand?”) but also reached out to the entire population with his painting and calligraphy. For this first exhibition in the West devoted to Hakuin, seventy-five of his scrolls will be gathered from collections in the United States and Japan. Organized in collaboration with New Orleans Museum of Art, and curated by Audrey Yoshiko Seo and Stephen Addiss.
Bye Bye Kitty!!!
Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art
March – June 2011
Many recent critics have focused on the superficiality and infantilism of contemporary Japanese art, yet in reality a much greater drama is being played out in Japan, on a far longer timescale. This exhibition, featuring sixteen leading practitioners in a range of media, will redefine contemporary Japanese art within a broad historical context, from the point of view of the formal aesthetics expressed in traditional painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and architecture. Curated by David Elliott, former Director of Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum.
Performing Arts
Kashu-juku Noh Theater
In conjunction with Carnegie Hall’s JapanNYC festivalMarch 24 – 26, 2011
Tickets will be available for purchase in mid-August from Japan Society.
Japan Society welcomes Kashu-juku Noh Theater, the Kyoto-based group led by Katayama Shingo of the prestigious Katayama noh family. Joined by kyogen actors from the Shigeyama family, Kashu-juku offers a rare opportunity for Americans to experience the world-renowned forms of noh and kyogen performed back-to-back in the traditional structure of nohgaku. The oldest theatrical form still in practice today, nohgaku has been designated by UNESCO as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity." The centerpiece of the program will be the famous Noh play Aoi No Ue (Lady Aoi). The kyogen play Boshibari (Tied to a Stick) and the mai-bayashi (“Dance & Music”) Yashima will also be featured.
In Japanese with English subtitles.
Atelier Incurve
July – August 2011
An exhibition from Japan’s most vibrant center for Outsider Art. In development
Contemporary Japanese Fiber Art
October 2011 – January 2012
Following from our Clay and Bamboo shows, an in-depth look at a new art form in which Japan continues to be a world leader. In development.