OUR WORK
Contemporary Japan
in Sydney - Day Tour
Presenters
Art Gallery NSW
Renaissance Tours
Date
21 May 2021
Speaker & Guide
Kathryn Hunyor, Director, ArtsPeople
Image Credit
Main image: ‘Heart-to-heart (Chapter 9), from the series Romantic reminiscences of Genji’ 1857-1861, Utagawa Kunisada, Collection of Art Gallery of NSW
The Project
Patrons delved into the exquisite world of Japanese arts and design to discover how art permeates daily life, and what we can learn about Japan, through art. Focussing on four areas: the tea ceremony, food & eating, bathing, and fashion, the day was spent experiencing the intricate blending of religion, symbolism, and spiritual beliefs in Japan.
Together with ArtsPeople Director Kathryn Hunyor, participants learnt how Japanese contemporary life still maintains traditional cultural pursuits and aesthetic ideals.
The tour began with an exclusive visit to the Prints and Drawings room at the Art Gallery of New South Wales to view a selection of woodblock prints depicting traditional ways of life, fashion and beauty.
Next stop was the Japan Foundation to view ‘Steam Dreams’ and hear about the history and culture of communal public bathing in sentō, before experiencing an exclusive traditional tea ceremony by two local artists, Midori Furze and Tae Gessner.
Finally, we took in an in-depth behind-the-scenes tour of the impressive Japanese fashion and textiles collection at the Powerhouse Museum with Curator Roger Leong, before enjoying lunch at contemporary Japanese restaurant ‘Kuro’.
Our Role
Creative Programming
Specialist Art & Cultural Tour