Tokyo: Art & Photography

Photograph by Ninagawa Mika of two pink-haired young women facing each other

29 JUL 2021 – 3 JAN 2022

TOKYO

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

PAST EXHIBITION

This major exhibition was a celebration of one of the world’s most creative, dynamic and thrilling cities, giving an opportunity to explore Japan’s capital city through the vibrant arts it has generated over 400 years.

It featured a wide variety of artworks created in a metropolis that has constantly reinvented itself. Highlights included historic folding screens and iconic woodblock prints, video works, pop art, and contemporary photographs by Moriyama Daido and Ninagawa Mika.

With new commissions by contemporary artists, loans from Japan and treasures from the Ashmolean’s own collections, the show provided a fascinating insight into the development of Tokyo into one of the world’s most important cultural hotspots.

A view of a city by the water at night, with boats passing in the foreground

A close up, black and white photo of a person smiling

A soft-focus, red-hued photograph of a crowd of people in an indoor space

An abstract image of brown acrylic shapes set against a pink backdrop made of phone cards

A grey and white pencil rendering of a tall building with intricate detail

A photograph of fish in a light turquoise tank of water with shadows of a grid

A predominantly blue-ink woodblock print of two women in formal dress under a blossoming tree

A dark, black and white photo of a woman riding a bicycle

A modern mineral pigment drawing on linen paper of two young bald figures facing each other and holding hands

A close up detail of an ink on gold-leaf painting of a dog-chasing game

A photograph of five men in white coats wearing masks, holding cleaning supplies on a pavement next to a sign that says 'BE CLEAN'

A brightly-coloured woodblock print of figures walking outside a train station in Tokyo

Trunk and branches of the blossoming cherry tree in the foreground and view over the Sumidagawa, Edo's most important river.

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Image of Hokusai painting showing a rocky river flowing between hills and trees towards Mount Fuji

MOUNT FUJI GREETING CARD

£2.65

red tote bag with white-feathered birds, cranes with splayed wings

RED CRANES TOTE BAG

£11

TOKYO CATALOGUE

£25

A face mask with a design depicting a large blue and white wave towering high above the view of Mount Fuji in the distance

GREAT WAVE FACE MASK

£9.99

A black red and white poster with motto 'Fortune Favours the Bold', and vertical Japanese writing at centre

FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BOLD PRINT

£19.95

Elegant scarf with decorative intricate red, green, black and white bird design, with birds head on either side of scarf tail

HOKUSAI PHOENIX SILK SCARF

£50

People standing outside a red and white entrance to Tokyo Station (Tokyo-eki) showing a canopy and a clock, design on woodblock

TOKYO STATION PRINT

£10

TOKYO ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

Co-edited by exhibition curators Lena Fritsch and Clare Pollard

This beautifully-illustrated new book looks at a city which has undergone constant destruction and renewal over its 400-year history, and tells the stories of the people who have made Tokyo so famous with their boundless drive for the new and innovative – from samurai to avant garde artists today.

ORDER YOUR COPY