Aiming for modern products based on tradition.

”This is made of washi (traditional Japanese paper)?” Nakata had the right to be surprised.

In front of him, colorful hand bags and cosmetics bags were laid out, and on the wall, hunting caps and vests were displayed. On touching them, they were indeed made of paper. It felt strange.

Onao Co., Ltd. makes mainly Japanese paper (washi), as well as Japanese stationery and other miscellaneous goods. Their brand name ”SIWA” is ”washi”(another way to spell ”washi” in alphabets) spelled backwards, but it also means ”crease”. The creased look and the wrinkly texture of ”washi” is reflected in the design of the products.

But, how durable are they? ”We use a very durable and hard to tear ”washi” using wooden pulp as the main material,” said Yoshinori Ichinose, the president of the company. He said that the company took on such a challenge because their policy is to present new things based on tradition, into the contemporary world.

A tearoom made of ”washi”. Visiting the old, and discover the new.

At the end of the interview, Nakata was invited for tea in the ”tearoom made of washi”. The floor and the walls were all covered with ”washi”. ”You see, this is all ”washi”,” said Ichinose proudly. The tearoom was made possible because it utilizes the durable character of ”washi”.

Making a ”traditional thing” such as tearoom with the ”new technology” of applying ”washi” in modern way. This space may indeed be the embodiment of the saying, visiting the old and discover the new.

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Collection related to Hiroshima

Hiroshima Contemporary Museum of Art is located inside Hijiyama Park, famous for its beautiful and abundant cherry blossoms.
The museum was constructed by Kisho Kurokawa, and consists of the Approach plaza, resembling architecture of ancient Europe, a building that reminds you of a Japanese ”kura” with its triangular cone roofs – an ideal mixture of east and west. The material of the buildings from the ground up are in order by period. Starting with natural stone, polished stone, tiles, and aluminum.
The museum collects mainly contemporary art, much to do with art relative to Hiroshima, and fervently collects art created by new artists. They also own many pieces from abroad, such as ”Marilyn” by Andy Warhol.

A Place to become alert to Sensibility

The museum is always buzzing with stimulating exhibitions and special events, such as their ”Open programs”, or promoting video footage of artists from around the world in their ”Video Art Programs”, or selecting a certain theme from their collection and displaying diverse ways of approach in their ”Collection Displays”.
The outdoor sculptures are also effectively displayed.
What kind of messages do present day artists have? How did their work come to be? If you keep these questions in your mind as you stroll around the museum, you will surely encounter a work of art to fit your taste.

The post “Hiroshima Contemporary Museum of Art” Enjoying Stimulating Contemporary Art first appeared on NIHONMONO.