{"id":19291,"date":"2019-09-20T05:48:44","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T04:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=19291"},"modified":"2023-11-09T13:44:39","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T12:44:39","slug":"japan-unlimited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/japan-unlimited\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan Unlimited exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/japanunlimited.jpg\" alt=\"Japanese characters\" class=\"wp-image-19294\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/japanunlimited.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/japanunlimited-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Thought is free&#8221; wrote Shakespeare in <em>Twelfth Night<\/em>. But not every thought can be expressed freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This interface between public and private statements, feelings, and emotions forms the context for a new exhibition of contemporary Japanese art: <em>Japan Unlimited<\/em> in the MuseumsQuartier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Features a variety of media and prominent Japanese artists like Makoto Aida and Yoshiko Shimada<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Changing contributions through artists-in-residence, too<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Runs Sept 26 &#8211; Nov 24, 2019<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Free entry, with all information in German and English<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/vienna-museums\/mq\/\">The MuseumsQuartier<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Current <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/#modernart\">contemporary art exhibitions<\/a> in Vienna<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Straddling the line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Back in 1869, Japan and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/austria-hungary\/\">Austro-Hungarian Empire<\/a> established formal diplomatic relations with the signing of a treaty. Fast forward to 2019 and we have the 150th anniversary of the event. Excuse enough for Vienna to explore some of Japan&#8217;s many contributions to art and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One example is the <em>Japan Unlimited<\/em> exhibition at the MuseumsQuartier (MQ), curated by Marcello Farabegoli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The MQ is, perhaps, the top location for modern art in the city, so it&#8217;s no surprise to learn that the exhibition primarily features contemporary works, drawn from a range of mostly Japanese artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The context is the role played by <em>Honne <\/em>and <em>Tatemae <\/em>in Japan. The former refers to an individual&#8217;s true feelings and emotions, the latter to those displayed for public consumption, which in turn often reflect the expectations and pressures of society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Needless to say, the inherent tension in the distinction between those concepts provides a rich environment for <em>Japan Unlimited<\/em> to tackle such issues as conformity, independence, boundaries, censorship, and sociopolitical change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The works of several prominent artists feature. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Japan times once described <strong>Yoshiko Shimada<\/strong> as the country&#8217;s &#8220;premier feminist and antiwar artist&#8221;. The exhibition includes a doctored reconstruction of a photo of Emperor Hirohito and General MacArthur from the post-WWII US occupation of Japan, produced in collaboration with <strong>BuBu de la Madeleine<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The artist collective, <strong>Chim \u2191 Pom<\/strong>, whose metaphorical work, <em>Super Rat<\/em>, for instance, features a stuffed (poison-resistant) rat painted as a Pokemon figure towering over a ruined cityscape. Excellent!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Makoto Aida<\/strong> works in various media, including painting and sculpture, but here you&#8217;ll find his performance art video installation, where he masquerades as a Prime Minister of Japan and alludes to issues of nationalism<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the latest iteration of <strong>Midori Mitamura<\/strong>&#8216;s <em>Art &amp; Breakfast<\/em> project, the artist presents her improvised installations that evolve through interaction with her surrounds and conversations with visitors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Momoyo Torimitsu<\/strong>&#8216;s <em>Business as Habitual<\/em> animation examines the authenticity of Tepco senior management&#8217;s response to the disaster at Fukoshima<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibits cover a variety of media, from deceptive woodcut landscapes to films and 3D abstract installations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I found myself particularly drawn to <strong>Hana Usui<\/strong>&#8216;s series protesting the death sentence and <strong>Naoko Yoshimoto<\/strong>&#8216;s <em>Melting Cave<\/em>, where an embroidered protective suit bleeds as an echo of Fukushima and its aftermath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The palette of displays changes through time as various Japanese artists participating in the Q21&#8217;s artists-in-residence programme contribute new works. A series of events accompanies the exhibition, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dates, tickets &amp; tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Japan Unlimited runs from Thursday, September 26th 2019 to Sunday, November 24th, 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibition is free to view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to Japan Unlimited<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/vienna-museums\/mq\/\">directions<\/a> to reach the Museumsquartier. Go to the frei_raum Q21 exhibition space, located at the far end of the tract that branches off left from the main entrance (as you face it from outside). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also reach Q21 directly by entering the MQ complex, for example, at the entrance opposite the U2 subway station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Q21 exhibition space, Museumsplatz 1\/5, 1070 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1i9IZX6LeUKth_5sm2EOO-SqQl8s\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Thought is free&#8221; wrote Shakespeare in Twelfth Night. But not every thought can be expressed freely. This interface between public and private statements, feelings, and emotions forms the context for a new exhibition of contemporary Japanese art: Japan Unlimited in the MuseumsQuartier. Straddling the line Back in 1869, Japan and the Austro-Hungarian Empire established formal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19294,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19291","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-museums","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19291"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65513,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19291\/revisions\/65513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}