Part of the Overseas Traveling Exhibition program organized by the prestigious Japan Foundation, the show brought a total of 64 examples of some of the finest work by modern Japanese craftspeople to Guam. It includes a piece by the “Living National Treasure” — a special designation given to outstanding Japanese artists who are considered cultural assets of the country by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology — Sayoko Eri.
According to Masami Shiraishi, the curator of the exhibition and director of the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, the various works chosen for the show exemplify six main themes that are common in contemporary Japanese crafts: “ostentation, quiet refinement, crispness, fine detail, deformation, and flowers and birds.”
Shawlon Abuan, a special education and art major at UOG, found the exhibition “very sophisticated and refreshing,” while art major Maria Edquilane said, “I loved the pieces!” James Sellmann, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, added that the works on display are “exquisite! Beyond beautiful; and so delicate and refined.”
The exhibition was opened last Thursday evening by Consul-General of Japan Yoshiyuki Kimura.
In a short speech to the attendees, Kimura expressed his gratitude to UOG, along with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency, and the Office of the Governor, for “giving us this excellent opportunity to experience Japanese art culture with these unique exhibits.” In closing, he said, “I am looking forward to enjoying this exhibition with many people of the local community.”
Prior to coming to Guam, the exhibition was displayed in Singapore, and after it closes here, it will move on to Fiji before returning to Japan. It will be at the Isla Center for the Arts through Sept. 9. For those who would like to stop by and see this superb collection of contemporary Japanese crafts, the gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays and holidays.
