Contemporary Japanese Art

Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art

by Doug Levy
in flavorwire.com


When New York’s Japan Society planned its latest art exhibition, Bye Bye Kitty!!!, its goal was to provide an alternative view of a country whose art has long been associated with the overly cute and cartoonish. With this month’s disaster in Japan, the exhibit takes on greater significance, spotlighting a grimmer, more chaotic vision of life in the newly ravaged nation. Subtitled Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art, the show is divided into three sections — “Critical Memory,” “Threatened Nature,” and “Unquiet Dream” — and features a selection of artists who are pushing boundaries in their country’s creative realms.