The exhibition, sponsored by the Japan Foundation in Tokyo, opens April 16 and will be on view through June 12, 2011. The famous Edo-period ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artist Toshusai Sharaku, known for his rare and iconic likenesses of period Kabuki actors, forms the focal point of the exhibition. The Cornell venue of this acclaimed traveling show includes many high-quality reproductions of Sharaku’s best-known portraits; 28posters by prominent graphic designers; and 23objects in varying media—painting, sculpture, and prints—by leading contemporary artists who have reinterpreted Sharaku’s imagery using a combination of fluid ideas and masterful expression.
Sharaku Interpreted by Japan’s Contemporary Artists is neither an overview of works by the 18th-century artist Sharaku nor an assembly of famous examples of ukiyo-e. It is instead a presentation of the personal reinterpretation of Sharaku by today’s fine artists and graphic designers who took the Edo-period artist as their point of departure 200 years after his short period of artistic activity. Although the premise of this exhibition is to introduce and compare the results by the participating fine artists who were asked to engage with the theme of “Sharaku,” the exhibition will simultaneously demonstrate the aesthetic connections between historic Japanese woodblock prints and the current graphic design of Japan. The show will also address the differences between the approaches used in graphic design and contemporary art, as well as the great diversity of today’s artistic expression.
Located on the campus of Rollins College near downtown Winter Park, the Cornell’s gallery hours are: Tuesday–Friday, 10a.m. to 4p.m. and Saturday & Sunday, 12to 5 p.m. Admission is $5.00 for adults. Free to CFAM members, Rollins College faculty, staff, and all students with current ID, and children. For additional information, please call 407.646.2526 or visit cfam.rollins.edu