This style of printing imitated the complexity of richly colored kimono fabrics. Kyoko Hirai’s Kawatari Kin Sarasa, Textile, is an example of the decorative catalogs that were printed in Kyoto at the end of the 19th century. His techniques in carving contemporary ukiyo-e prints and the development of his own artistic expression can be seen in his work Eagle, where he reproduces a photographic image using layers of sumi ink. Shoichi Kitamura learned by working in a traditional carving studio alongside a master carver. Both Shoichi Kitamura and Kyoko Hirai trained this way.

Accomplished artisans passed down their evolving knowledge so the process has accumulated subtle changes over the years. Though a traditional medium, ukiyo-e thrives on innovation, and has influenced both Japanese and global traditions.ĭuring the Edo period, craftspeople trained in an apprenticeship system where prints were produced in separate carving and printing studios. These ukiyo-e prints were profoundly influential on European artists in the 1800s. It originated in China and developed into a popular art form during the Edo Period (1603-1867). Mokuhanga literally translates to “wood print” in Japanese. These artists have invited their teachers, students, and community members to honor the past and explore the future of mokuhanga. The Mokuhanga Sisters, a print collective of nine women, met at the Mokuhanga Innovation Laboratory (MI-LAB) between 2017-2019 and forged friendships through their practice of mokuhanga. Organized by the Mokuhanga Sisters and the Kentler International Drawing Space, the exhibition presents contemporary examples of this environmentally sustainable printmaking process. Her success in fostering understanding through cooperative international friendships is epitomized by the strong bonds of the Mokuhanga Sisters and their work maintaining and strengthening the international mokuhanga network.īetween Worlds explores the expansion of traditional Japanese woodblock printing (mokuhanga) from Japan into the global world of contemporary art. Artists who benefitted from her work have gone on to teach at universities and workshops around the world, written books, organized exhibitions, and published research on the history and materials of mokuhanga. She died in 2017, but her desire to promote world peace through the shared understanding of arts and culture lives on in the work of the many artists who participated in her programs. Keiko Kadota’s programs are unique in their personal flavor and international reach. The first IMC was held in Kyoto and Awajishima the second in Tokyo the third in Hawaii and the fourth, in 2021, had exhibitions and events in Nara, with international presentations and discussions online. An important initiative was establishing the triennial International Mokuhanga Conference to include a diversity of international artists and to provide a forum for maintaining contact among past residency participants. In addition to the residency programs, Keiko Kadota established her head office and gallery at 3331 Arts Chiyoda art center in Tokyo to promote mokuhanga through exhibitions and short-term classes. It opened in 2011 when the earlier program closed. Fuji grew from the Nagasawa Art Park program initiated by Keiko Kadota in 1998. MI-LAB, conveniently located two hours from Tokyo at the foot of Mt. Between Worlds highlights connections between group members, their teachers, their students, and the community of mokuhanga artists centered around this international training program. At the residency they refined their technique and built a strong network that has resulted in many shared projects and exhibitions.

The group includes Katie Baldwin, Patty Hudak, Mariko Jesse, Kate MacDonagh, Yoonmi Nam, Natasha Norman, Mia O, Lucy May Schofield, and Melissa Schulenberg. As participants in the “Upper Advanced Residency” the Mokuhanga Sisters, as they became known, all had previous mokuhanga experience. April Vollmer, author of Japanese Woodblock Print Workshopīetween Worlds brings together artists who developed strong connections during shared residencies at the Mokuhanga Innovation Laboratory (MI-LAB) in Japan. Katie Baldwin, Matthew Willie Garcia, Hidehiko Gotou, Kyoko Hirai, Patty Hudak, Mariko Jesse, Shoichi Kitamura, Terry McKenna, Kate MacDonagh, Yoonmi Nam, Natasha Norman, Mia O, Brendan Reilly, Louise Rouse, Lucy May Schofield, Melissa Schulenberg, Ayao Shiokawa, Chihiro Taki, Katsutoshi YuasaĮxhibition Dates: June 17 - July 31, 2022Ĭlick Events page: Workshops, tours and public events.

Moku hanga reduction print