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Exhibition Public - USA & Canada |
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.
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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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