ISLAMABAD: Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Wednesday hosted a new show featuring Japanese prints from the 1970s.

The Japan Foundation and the Japanese embassy in collaboration with the PNCA organised the show titled Photographic Images and Matter: Japanese Prints of the 1970s.

Japanese Ambassador Wada Mitsuhiro inaugurated the exhibition.

The show was curated by Kyoji Takizawa, which focused on print expressions from the 1970s as seen in the work of 14 artists who helped develop a print movement in the world of Japanese contemporary art.

Divided into two sections, the exhibition showcased, The Age of Photographic Images, which featured the use of photographic images in the print medium, and Images of Autonomous Matter, which focused on works that were shaped by the intentions of matter.

The exhibition aimed to give a deeper understanding of contemporary art trends of the 1970’s, which were triggered by the print medium.

Ambassador Wada Mitsuhiro said that this exhibition provided a good opportunity to viewers to take a glimpse of the Japanese prints of the 1970s, an era in which new trends emerged in contemporary Japanese art due to a focus on photographic images and matter.

He hoped that the viewers would gain a deeper understanding of contemporary art trends of the 1970s which were triggered by the print medium.

“Prints were closely related to those trends and prints of the 1970s made their mark on history,” the ambassador informed art lovers.

Organisers of the show said that the Japan Foundation continuously conducted the Travelling Exhibitions Programme to introduce Japanese arts and culture overseas.

This show was one of the exhibitions which was part of this programme and would remain open to visitors till Feb 19.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2023