Kansai Scene Magazine

Mar 2005
Issue 058

Out now!

Three months in Nepal

Thru Mar.25

Photographer Sandra Moon has teamed with her doctor Neel from Rainbow Thanka Gallery in Kathmandu, Nepal in a combined exhibition in Ishibashi. Sandra spent three months last year volunteering in orphanages in Nepal. Her photos capture the everyday life of the Nepalese and reveal some of the joy and despair of her experiences.

The thankas induce pure bliss and typically depict mandalas and deities. The art is all on canvas and the colors are all ground from stone by hand, with each thanka taking at least two months to complete. Ten percent of sales will go towards furniture for Koleko Chawor Primary School in Sindupal Chowk District, Nepal.

Photo Gallery Espoir
Getting there: Hankyu Ishibashi stn, east exit
Open: 11am-6pm, Sat-Thu. Closed Monday
Admission: Free
Tel: 072-761-0669

Yuki Onodera exhibition

Thru Mar.29

Yuki Onodera (born in Tokyo in 1962) is a Paris-based, internationally active photographer. After receiving the First New Cosmos of Photography Award, Onodera moved to France in 1993. With the opening of a solo show titled "Down" at three different locations in Tokyo in 1995, Onodera gained almost immediate recognition. Since then, beginning with the representative work "Portrait of Second-hand Clothes," Onodera has presented new series of photographs in rapid succession. These have included "C.V.N.I.," a group of enigmatic photographs showing tin cans with their labels torn off floating in midair; "How to make a pearl," photographs that were taken after Onodera concealed a glass bead inside the camera; and "transvest," a series which depicts silhouettes of people we seem to have seen somewhere before. In 2003, Onodera received the 28th Kimura Ihei Award for her book of photographs.

National Museum of Art Osaka
Getting there: Subway Higobashi stn; exit # East 3
Open: 10-5pm, Sat-Thu, Closed Mondays
Admission: Free
Tel: 06-6447-4699

The State Collections Dresden —
a mirror of the world

Mar 9 - May 22

Hanshin Earthquake 10th Anniversary Exhibition

Dresden once prospered as the center of the Duchy of Sachsen and is now the Sachsen State of Germany. It flourished with its glittering artistic culture, influenced by other European countries such as Italy, France and the Netherlands, as well as by Asian countries that included Turkey, China and Japan. Tiziano, Rembrandt, Vermeer and other artists along with armor, furnishings, jewelry, ceramics and lacquer ware owned by the Dresden Museum will be on exhibit. These exhibits are some of the finest representations of the city that once represented a meeting point of Western and Eastern culture.

Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
Grand Exhibit of Print Art
Hanshin Iwaya stn. (by the ocean)
Open: 10am-5pm, closed Mondays
Admission: ¥1200/¥800/¥400
Tel: 078-262-0901

Mail art exhibit on the theme
of article nine of the Japanese constitution
Mar 1-May 31

Although there is significant support for Article 9 in Japanese society, there is growing pressure from the Japanese power structure and from outside Japan to change it. The debate will certainly grow more intense in the coming years. Article 9 reads, in its entirety: “Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes.

In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.” Contributions to the exhibit are welcome from now through the end of the exhibition on May 31. The names and addresses of all participating artists will appear on the website at the conclusion of the show. All art must be received through the mail, either within an envelope or other package or with postage affixed to the art work itself. Postcards, cardboard, wood, plastic and other materials may be used. The work may be flat or three-dimensional. Poems are welcome as well. Post to: Dorumen 5-98 Higashi Sonoda-cho, Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo 661-0953 Japan.

Dorumen
Getting there: Hankyu Sonoda stn.
Open: 12-3pm, 5pm-12am, closed Sunday
Tel: 06-6494-4713

Kansai Art Listings

Osaka

Thru Mar 11
DDD Gallery
Cyan Exhibition
Nishi-Umeda stn or Higobashi stn.
Open: 10am-6pm. Closed Sat, Sun, Holidays. Admission: Free
Tel: 06-6347-8780

Thru Mar 21
Graf Media GM
Bamboo — Yoshinaga Masayuki photo exhibition
Subway Yotsubashi Higobashi stn.
Open: 12-8pm. Closed 1st/3rd Mon.
Admission: Free
Tel: 06-6459-2082

Thru Mar 21
Osaka Shiritsu Museum
Art competition: The 36th Nitten.
60 prize winning works selected from over 12,000 entries.
JR/subway Tennoji stn.
Open: 9:30am-4:30pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥1,000/¥700
Tel: 06-6771-4874

Thru March 21
Osaka Shiritsu Kindai Museum
Modernism Shinsaibashi
Art created in Shinsaibashi before the war. Works by Takehisa Yumeji, Akamatsu Rinsaku, Kkoide Narashige, etc.
Subway Shinsaibashi stn; Idemitsu Nagahori Bldg, 13F
Open: 11am-6:30pm
Admission: ¥500/¥300/free
Tel: 06-6208-9096

Thru March 27
Kokuritsu Kokusai Bijutsukan
Treasures of Ancient China
150 pieces from the Eastern Han
to Northern Sung Dynasties.
Subway Yotsubashi Higobashi stn.
Open: 10am-4pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥1,300/¥900/¥500
Tel: 06-6447-4680

Thru March 27
Carpe Diem
Kusama Yayoi Exhibition
Thru March 31
Matsumoto Tomoko and Adrian Lee: Family Album
& Peculiar Propaganda
Subway Midoribashi stn or JR Morinomiya stn.
Open: 1pm-7pm, closed Mon & Tue
Tel: 06-6961-0444

Thru March 31
Museum of Oriental Ceramics Osaka
Persian Ceramics and Bronze from the Takada Collection
Subway Midosuji Yodoyabashi stn.
Open: 9:30am-4:30pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥500/¥300
Tel: 06-6223-0055

Thru Apr 17
Suntory Museum, Tempozan
Victor Hugo et le Romantisme
Subway chuo, Technoport line, Osaka-ko stn, exit 1.
Open: 10:30am-7pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥900/¥630/¥450
Tel: 06-6577-0001

Thru May 31
Museum of Ethnology
Introduction of Polynesia
New Collections from Polynesia: Lapita Culture to the Chiefdom.
Subway Banpaku Kinen Koen stn; Inside Expo70 park.
Open: 10am-4pm. Closed Wed.
Admission: ¥420/¥250/¥110
Tel: 06-6876-2151

Kyoto

Thru March 13
Hosomi Museum
Good Times in the Old Capitol:
Picture scrolls, folding screens and other art works from Japanese litera-ture from the Heian to the Edo period. Tozai Subway line, Higashiyama stn. On the corner of Nijo-dori and river.
Open: 10am-5:30pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥700/¥500
Tel: 075-752-5555

Thru March 21
Kyoto Bunka Hakubutsukan
World of Ancient EgypT
Over 240 ancient antiques
collected from all over Japan.
Subway Karasuma-Oike/Hankyu Karauma stn.
Open: 10am-5pm, closed Mon.
Admission: ¥1,000/¥700/¥400
Tel: 075-222-0888

Thru March 27
Kyoto National Museum
Buddhist Sculptures and
the Art of Photography
Keihan Shichijo Stn.
Open: 9:30am-5pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥420/¥210
Tel: 075-541-1151

Thru Apr 3
Kyoto Kokuritsu Kindai Museum
Kawai Kanjiro Exhibition
Keihan Shichijo stn. Okazaki Park
Open: 9:30am-4pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥830/¥450/¥250
Tel: 075-761-4111

Thru April 10
Kyoto-shi Museum
Exhibition introducing Florence and the Renaissance
Over 100 works by Botticelli, Michelangelo, etc.
JR Kyoto/Hankyu Shijo Kwarama-chi/Keihan Sanjo stn, take a bus from any of these stations.
Open: 9am-4pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥1,300/¥900/¥500
Tel: 075-771-4107

Hyogo

Thru March 6
Itami Shiritsu Museum
Jacques Callot Exhibition
Copperplate-print artist.
JR/Hankyu Itami stn.
Open: 10am-5pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥700/¥350/¥100
Tel: 0727-72-7447

Thru March 13
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
Grand Exhibit of Print Art
Hanshin Iwaya stn. (by the ocean)
Open: 10am-5pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥1200/¥800/¥400
Tel: 078-262-0901

Thru March 19
Himeji Shimin Gallery
Fujiwara Yojiro exhibition.
Oil paintings and performance by Route B, an art group led by Fujiwara.
JR/Sanyo Himeji stn.
Open: 10am-4pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥300/¥100/free

March 26 - April 2
Gallery Andante
Dominic's Exhibition
A series of modern-art style paintings by the French Artist.
Ashya Sun Plaza 1F, 5-8 Hirata-cho, Ashya city.
Tel: 0797-34-2671

Thru March 27
Himeji City Museum of Art
Matsuoka Eikyu Exhibition
JR/Sanyo Himeji stn.
Open: 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥500/¥300/¥200
Tel: 0792-22-2288

Thru April 10
Ashiya Shiritsu Bijutsu Hakubutsukan
Tomoko Yoneda Photo Exhibition
Hanshin Ashiya stn.
Open: 10am-4pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥500/¥400/free
Tel: 0797-38-5432

Nara

Thru March 13
Nara Kenritsu Bijutsukan
Artwork from Momoyama Period to the Edo Period
Kintetsu Nara stn. Exit 1
Open: 9am-4pm
Admission: ¥1,000/¥700/¥400
Tel: 0742-23-3968

Thru March 21
Nara National Museum
Treasures of Todaiji's Omizutori Ritual
celebrates the long history of the Shunj-e with Paintings, iconographic drawings, documents, decorative art objects and other works.
Kintetsu Nara stn; inside Nara Park
Open: 9am-4pm
Admission: ¥1,200/¥800/¥500
Tel: 0742-22-7771

ART section compiled by Maki Nibayashi

	:: CINEMA LISTINGS Up to date cinema listings guide so you always know what's on, where and when!
	:: EVENT LISTINGS Festivals, performances, shows, gallery openings...your guide to what's coming up in the next few weeks.
	:: FEATURE Sumo's foreign invasion A rundown on sumo's foreign legion of rikishi
	:: TRAVEL Trekking in the clouds Sapa, Vietnam
	:: HEALTH The art of transformation Tai Chi Chuan
	:: READ New releases and top ten paperback books
	:: FOOD Corner of 42nd street and Dotombori Magnitute 2000
	:: DRINK Boys to the black stuff Guinness and Kansai's Irish venues
	:: NEWS Domestic and international news
	:: ART Best of monthly exhibition reviews + listings
	:: LIVE Sum 41, Prefuse 73 & more incoming live acts...
	:: CLUB James Holden interview and a round up of the rest + club listings.
	:: FILM Sideways, Shark Tale and many more reel reviews...
	:: SNAPSHOT Three months with Nepal's orphans Sandra Moon working with orphans in Kathmandu
	:: PROFILE Sunny side up Sunny Francis