Contemporary Wood-Carved Netsuke
2019/12/22
The Director, Mr. Duta Chowdhury, showed his deep appreciation towards Consul-General for bringing such a nice exhibition to Indian Museum. According to him this exhibition is quite unique and related to Japanese culture. He thanked the audience for their interest in this exhibition.
Consul-General of Japan, Mr. Taga, while thanking Indian Museum for hosting this exhibition, mentiioned that since Japanese KIMONO costume lacks pockets, people carried small items, medicine container suspended on cords from the Obi using NETSUKE. So NETSUKE was very much related to wearing KIMONO. Today Japanese people wear KIMONO only on special occasions and practical use of NETSUKE declined. However, contemporary NETSUKE carvers and artists are trying to present NETSUKE as innotive artistic crafts.
Consul-General of Japan, Mr. Taga, while thanking Indian Museum for hosting this exhibition, mentiioned that since Japanese KIMONO costume lacks pockets, people carried small items, medicine container suspended on cords from the Obi using NETSUKE. So NETSUKE was very much related to wearing KIMONO. Today Japanese people wear KIMONO only on special occasions and practical use of NETSUKE declined. However, contemporary NETSUKE carvers and artists are trying to present NETSUKE as innotive artistic crafts.
The exhibition was on display at Indian Museum (Pre-histroic Gallery), Kolkata from till 22 December 2019 (except Mondays).
About the Exhibition
Contemporary Wood-Carved Netsuke, is an innovative contemporary crafts exhibition presenting 65 works by contemporary netsuke carvers and artists. A netsuke is a non-slip toggle that has been used since the Edo period (1603-1868) to secure the small personal items such as money pouches, inrō (medicine containers), or tobacco containers worn suspended on cords from the obi (a sash worn with kimono). As Western clothing was adopted from the Meiji period (1868-1911) onwards, netsuke disappeared from daily life in Japan. Meanwhile, with the interest in Japonisme in Europe and America in the late nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, netsuke came to be exported in large numbers and were highly regarded as art or craft objects in other countries. Since the 1970s, a new genre, contemporary netsuke, has taken shape, inspired by new sensibilities and ideas. Today, contemporary netsuke carvers continue to ply their craft, steadily producing to new works.This exhibition focused on contemporary netsuke showcasing subtle and highly artistic skills, and playfulness, embodied in netsuke and the practicality and charm of netsuke today, when they are no longer part of everyday life. It is hoped that visitors experienced the warm characteristic of natural wood and the beauty lodged in netsuke with the passage of time. This exhibition was designed so that people, regardless of time or place, can savor tactile encounters with others and think of them through these works. We hope that as it tours, netsuke will take on a new practical role as a "toggle," connecting Japan and the world.
