If you’re a fan of sitting around hot pots during the winter, you’re probably familiar with the tabletop gas burner. Bulky and ugly, it’s a necessary evil that delivers portable flames to any tabletop. But this redesigned gas burner us unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
Van Gogh, Picasso, Redon and Renoir. Almost every great painter in history has been fascinated with flowers as a subject for still-lives. And some of the most famous of their paintings depict simple flowers. So what did these artistic minds see in the bouquet? This is the question that led Japanese flower artist Makoto Azuma on an investigative series. And for the past 3 years he’s been creating exact replicas of famous flower paintings but using real flowers.
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Japan’s love for all things stationery can’t be denied. And their reputation as a nation of foodies also holds true. So it was only a matter of time before the two collided.
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In the 1950s, woodblock print artist Hide Kawanishi produced a series of color illustrations that depicted the changing city of Kobe after WWII. In 1962 he published the artwork in a book titled One Hundred Scenes of Kobe (神戸百景色). It would become the artist’s last major accomplishment before passing away in 1965.
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Oki Sato and his design firm Nendo have created an immersive installation that spans across nine display areas within The National Gallery of Victoria, in Melbourne. The spaces serve as a frame to compliment, and at times contrast with, 157 prints and drawings by the renowned Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher.
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The holiday season always seems to be more hectic than it should be. In fact, Japan’s ancient word for December is shiwasu (師走), which is literally “teacher run” because this month is so busy that even the priests have to pray while running. That’s why this week we’re listening to the sounds of multimedia artist Masakatsu Takagi.
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For a limited time, Pocky, one of Japan’s most popular and well-known snacks, has tweaked its packaging design to be sleek and minimal.
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Last month at an exhibition staged at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, artists installed a tea house handmade from geometric, concentric-layered shoji screens.
all photos © gottingham
Does anyone else find Christmas absolutely exhausting? What should be a time for calming reflection somehow always manages to turn into hectic chaos. This year though, Roppongi Hills in Tokyo has installed a Christmas Tree that is my absolute dream-tree. Made entirely from soft and stretchy knitted fabric, it’s a nap-able Christmas Tree perfect for those who have just about had it with the holidays season and just want to pass out.
All photos by Keiko Kioku, courtesy Contemporary Art Foundation
Last week in Tokyo the Contemporary Art Foundation (CAF) held its 2018 art awards. Currently in its 5th year, the CAF Awards recognizes exceptional contemporary art made by students in Japan – both national and foreign – as well Japanese students studying abroad. This year 15 finalist students had the opportunity to display their work at an exhibition in Tokyo.
