Mingei Japan’s Enduring Folk Arts—Exhibition

Nikkei National Museum in Burnaby British Columbia, June-October, 2015

Amaury St. Gilles collected Mingei (min=people, gei=art) from across across Japan during the 1980s. Amaury’s passion and understanding of Mingei was inspired by the the writings of legendary revered scholar Dr. Yanagi Soetu. This exhibition celebrates “unknown craftsmen” of Japan. Understanding of the world significance and influence of Mingei has been conveyed though the writings of both the late English potter Bernard Leach in “Unknown Craftsman” and the late Hamada-Sensei. Most of the art in the exhibition is featured in Amaury’s “Mingei, Japan’s Enduring Folk Arts, first published in 1989. The Canadian Society for Asian Arts is pleased to partner with Nikkei National Museum in Burnaby British Columbia for the presentation of this exhibition scheduled for June–August, 2015.

Margo Palmer, Sam Carter—Co-curators

“The ‘arts of the people’ of Japan are a living, growing tradition that is a continuum of change over hundreds and even thousands of years in the case of pottery making. There is a distillation of a culture reflecting all the rich variations of the mountainous islands of Japan.

So complex is the rich variety of simple and abundant materials imaginatively used. Wood, bamboo, paper, straw, shell, lacquers, clay, metal, stone and other materials are transformed into delightfully charming objects for daily use and satisfying to the human spirit.”

–Dr. Martha Longenecker, Founding Director of Mingei Museum of World Folk Art, San Diego, California

See also:

Nikkei National Museum, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Mingei Museum, San Diego California

In Pursuit of Beauty

Videos: Ideas about Mingei and “Living National Treasure”and ceramics

Malaysia-Canada Interculture Exhibition: Indigenous Identities (Pameran Antarbudaya Malaysia-Kanada: Jatidiri Peribumi)

10th September – 31st October 2014

Museum of Asian Art, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Judith St. George Canadian High Commissioner to Malaysia Opening

In Spring and Fall of 2011, co-curators; Associate Professor Salmah Abu Mansor, Principal Fellow-Institute of Ethnic Studies, National University of Malaysia, Malaysia and Sam Carter, Professor Emeritus-Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada selected applied arts from indigenous communities across Malaysia and Canada.

The exhibition is presented by the Canadian Society for Asian Arts, the Institute of Ethnic Studies, National University of Malaysia, Aboriginal Studies-Emily Carr University of Art and Design and with assistance from the governments of Canada and Malaysia.

Thirty examples of Malaysian and thirty examples of Canadian applied arts from indigenous communities from Malaysia-Canada Interculture Exhibition : Indigeneous Identities “Pameran Antarabudaya Malaysia-Kanada : Jatidiri Peribumi”

 This “bi-lateral” (Malaysia and Canadian) exhibition includes a diverse range of funtional works including baskets, textiles, jewellery, mats, souvenirs, scarves, hats, bangles, musical instruments, toys, tools, etc. These recent design products represent both traditional designs as well as new innovative works.

Some design products apply images of local flora and fauna using only natural materials with old and new tools. Other designs share stories and are expressive of design traditions within indigenous communities. Certain objects explore new images and visual language combining old with new and local with global design influences.

The Pahang Art Museum, Kuantan, Pahang hosted the exhibition in 2013 prior to the exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.

The exhibition features affordable, well-designed and well-crafted objects that may be collected by museums and or by tourist as “souvenirs”.

The exhibition was donated as a study collection to University of Malaya Archives to promote greater understanding of indigenous applied arts in both countries.

Exhibition installation, Asian Arts Museum, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Links:

University of Malaya, Centre for Malaysian Indigenous Studies:

http://cmis.um.edu.my/

Asian Arts Museum, University of Malaya

http://www.museum.um.edu.my/