Serizawa Keisuke, "Seabream," kimono, stencil-dyed tsumugi-weave silk, 1964 (Courtesy Tōhoku Fukushi University Serizawa Keisuke Art and Craft Museum)
SERIZAWA: MASTER OF JAPANESE TEXTILE DESIGN
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Through January 17 (closed Mondays)
Admission: $10 (free Fridays from 6:00 to 9:00)
212-832-1155
www.japansociety.org
The Japan Society has teamed up with the Tōhoku Fukushi University Serizawa Keisuke Art and Craft Museum to present the dazzling exhibit “Serizawa: Master of Japanese Textile Design.” Don’t let the rather mundane title fool you; this is a superb collection of some one hundred pieces by Serizawa Keisuke (1895-1984), including beautifully designed hanging scrolls, kimonos, screens, magazine and book covers, calendars, boxes, entrance curtains, and other useful objects. Named a Living National Treasure in Japan in 1956 — more closely translated from the Japanese as Holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property — Serizawa came out of Yanagi Muneyoshi’s mingei (people’s crafts) movement but developed a style all his own, redefining the process of stencil dyeing that came to be known as kataezome. “Dyeing with paper stencils is a demanding process, requiring the artist to make the best use of an intractable and restrictive medium,” writes Shakuko Hamada in the excellent exhibition catalog. “The results can look awkward and mannered, but Serizawa managed to overcome these technical constraints to produce a large body of work that is relaxed, spontaneous, and lively, its appealing warmth and cheerfulness making us want to have it around us and use it in our daily lives.”
Serizawa Keisuke, "Portrait of Hōnen Shōnin," hanging scroll, stencil-dyed silk, 1942 (Courtesy Tōhoku Fukushi University Serizawa Keisuke Art and Craft Museum)
Indeed, there are many pieces in this large body of work on display — the first such large-scale career museum retrospective of Serizawa ever held in the United States — that visitors will want to take home with them. A master of technique, he mixed Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cultural elements and patterns into his work. Serizawa’s impressive subject matter ranged from the amazingly detailed “Fallen Leaves” and “Papermaking Village in Ogawa” kimonos to the calm and soothing “Wazome egatari (The Illustrated Story of Japanese Dyeing),” from a series of colorful Chinese characters on norens (entrance curtains) to screens containing Japanese syllables, from “Abstract Designs” to “Portrait of the Bodhisattva Jizō.” Other favorites include fish, bamboo and plum blossoms, thatched huts, banana leaves, seashells, seasonal mandalas, waterfalls, markets, and twisted rope. “Serizawa” is more than just a collection of cool craft designs; it’s pure art that will embrace you.
Friday, January 8
and
Saturday, January 9 Contemporary Dance Showcase: Japan + East Asia, with Company Derashinera, KIKIKIKIKIKI’s OMEDETO, Masako Yasumoto’s SLAP, PAT SUCK, LDP’s NO COMMENT, and WCdance’s SMALL SONGS, $22, 7:30