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Asian Art Calendar of Events

Thursday, March 28, 2024


Exhibition Public - USA & Canada

KANBAN: Traditional shop signs of Japan

Mingei International Museum
Balboa Park, 1439 El Prado,
San Diego, California, USA
Apr 15, 2017 To Oct 08, 2017


Detail: Kanban, a fusion of art and commerce, refers to the traditional signs Japanese merchants displayed street side to advertise their presence, denote the products and services to be found inside, and to give individual identity and expression to the shop itself. Created from wood, bamboo, iron, paper, fabric, lacquer, and even stone, kanban form a rich, visual vocabulary of traditional advertising. Elongated panels of lacquered wood ornamented with elegantly inscribed calligraphy; whimsically carved three dimensional scenes of carp climbing waterfalls or munificent deities presiding over hoards of bounty; oversized, functional Buddhist prayer beads; stencil dyed segments of colored cloth fluttering in front of an open doorway, geta clogs; sword scabbards; iron furniture fittings; combs; parasols; writing brushes; images of seductive courtesans with painted faces and coiffed hair; and giant silk thread skeins are all signs and images that would have been a familiar sight on traditional Japanese commercial streets. This exhibition provides a rare opportunity to enter this world and to figuratively walk and shop the streets of traditional Japan.

KANBAN is accompanied by a beautiful and comprehensive 176-page hardbound publication by Guest Curator Alan Scott Pate, with 155 illustrations and over 50 kanban represented. The exhibition and catalogue offer new insights into Japan’s commercial and artistic roots, the evolution of trade, the links between commerce and entertainment, and the emergence of mass consumer culture.

Phone No.: (619) 239-0003
Fax: (619) 239-0605
Contact Email: [email protected]
Site URL: http://www.mingei.org/mim-exhibition/kanban/

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