Opening up Contemporary Calligraphy

Saku Municipal Museum of Modern Art

Finished

Artists

Sanu Aoyama, Sesson Uno, Hosui Matsumoto, Hakko Ishimitsu, Kason Sugioka, Joryu Matsui et al.

Contemporary calligraphy offers a diverse range of expressions. From large-sized kana characters to minimalist compositions, single-character works, kanji-kana hybrids, engraved inscriptions, and multi-character pieces based on the long horizontal scrolls of the Ming and Qing dynasties in China, visitors to exhibitions encounter a variety of styles. While calligraphy has been described as "visual art using characters as material," today, one can also observe calligraphic expressions that break free from the constraints of "characters," known as "avant-garde calligraphy," and similar styles.

The emergence of various calligraphic expressions, as seen in contemporary times, began in the modern era. With the opening of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in 1926, calligraphy found its place primarily in art museums for exhibitions, gradually gaining awareness as a form of venue-based art. Pursuing expressions suitable for spacious venues like art museums, with high ceilings and Western-style walls, led to the birth of new styles. The establishment of a calligraphy section at the Japan Art Exhibition (Nitten) in 1948 and the inaugural All Japan Calligraphy Exhibition (now the Mainichi Calligraphy Exhibition) in the same year further fueled this trend.

The birth of new calligraphic expressions also influenced the classics and selected texts studied by calligraphers. Works inspired by ancient Chinese characters like bronze inscriptions, had received less attention before the modern era, and long horizontal scrolls from the Ming and Qing dynasties in China became more prevalent. Selections of texts began to prioritize formal aspects over textual meaning.

This exhibition introduces selected works focusing on contemporary calligraphic expressions from the collection of the Saku Municipal Museum of Modern Art.

[Events]
1. Exhibition Tours (No registration required)
Date: June 8 (Sat), June 22 (Sat)

2. Calligraphy Workshop "Exploring Calligraphy" (Pre-registration required)
Date: June 15 (Sat)
Instructor: Hiroaki Ishitobi (Calligrapher)
Participation fee: 500 yen (materials, etc.)
① 13:30–14:30 / Target: Elementary and junior high school students, Capacity: Approximately 10 people
*Elementary school students may be accompanied by a guardian. An additional participation fee is required for accompanying guardians.
② 15:00–16:30 / Target: High school students and above, Capacity: Approximately 10 people
*For event details and registration, please visit the official website.

Schedule

May 18 (Sat) 2024-Jun 23 (Sun) 2024