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the journal of the asian arts society

of australia

TAASA Review

3 Editorial

JosefaGreen,Editor

4 KaMiSaKaSEKKa:daWNoFModErNJaPaNESEdESiGN

KhanhTrinh

7 SPECtaClEaNdFaNtaSY:tHEEXHiBitioNSTARS OF THE TOKYO STAGE

LucieFolan

10 tHrEadSoFHiStorY:CatHoliCtEXtilES iNViEtNaM

ChrisDouglas

12 NEWlitErati:FUKUdaKodoJiNaNdEarlY20tHCENtUrYNaNGa

RhiannonPaget

15 SHUttiNGtHEirEYESoNHiStorY:PrE-iSlaMiCHEritaGEattHENatioNalMUSEUMoFtHEMaldiVES

AnnProctor

17 iNtHEPUBliCdoMaiN: A TWELFTH CENTURY SHO KANNON BOSATSU AT THE NGV

WayneCrothers

18 tHrEadStHatliNKWorldS

MaryJose

20 aNidENtitYrE-ForGEd iNMildStEEl:tHEWorKoFKENSUKEtodo

OliviaMeehan

22 SUdJoJoNo:PriVatEFaCEaNdPUBliCPErSoNa

MattCox

24 BooKrEViEW:BALI AGA VILLAGES - DOCUMENTS AS ART

AdrianVickers

25 rECENttaaSaaCtiVitiES

JosefaGreen

25 taaSaMEMBErS’diarY: JUNE - AUGUST 2012

26 BooKrEViEW: INDONESIAN GOLD JEWELLERY

GillGreen

27 WHat’SoNiNaUStralia: JUNE - AUGUST 2012

CompiledbyTinaBurge

C o N t E N t S

Volume 21 No. 2 June 2012

2

aFUll iNdEXoFartiClESPUBliSHEd iNTAASA REviEw SiNCE itSBEGiNNiNGS

iN1991 iSaVailaBlEoNtHEtaaSaWEBSitE,WWW.taaSa.orG.aU

aWorldoFtHiNGS,KAMISAKA SEKKA,1909–10, ONE pAGE FROM THREE VOLUMES OF WOODBLOCK

pRINTS, INK AND COLOUR ON pApER, 29.9 x 22.4 CM. ART GALLERY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, pURCHASED

WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE SIDNEY MYER FUND 1991. SEE pp4-6.

taaSarEViEW

THEASIANARTSSOCIETYOFAUSTRALIAINC.ABN64093697537•Vol.21No.2,June2012ISSN1037.6674Registered by Australia post. publication No. NBQ 4134

Editorial•email:editorial@taasa.org.au

Generaleditor,JosefaGreenPUBliCatioNSCoMMittEE

JosefaGreen(convenor)•TinaBurgeMelanieEastburn•SandraForbesCharlotteGalloway•JimMasselos•AnnProctorSusanScollay•SabrinaSnow•ChristinaSumner

dESiGN/laYoUt

IngoVoss,VossDesign

PriNtiNG

JohnFisherPrinting

published by The Asian Arts Society of Australia Inc. pO Box 996 potts point NSW 2011 www.taasa.org.au

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E d i t o r i a l

JosefaGreen,Editor

3

t a a S a C o M M i t t E E

Often, though aiming to present a widerangeoftopics,ageneralissueoftheTAASAReview develops a flavour of its own. Thisis thecasewith this June issue,whichhasastrongJapaneseflavour.

OnereasonforthisistheexhibitionKamisakaSekka:DawnofModernJapaneseDesigncomingto the Art Gallery of NSW on 22 June. AsKhanh Trinh puts it in her article on thisexhibition,Sekkawasavisionaryfigurewhoreinvigorated thedecorative traditionof theRinpa school in the early 20th century. WearefortunatetobeabletoseeawiderangeofhisworksandthatoftheRinpaschoolinthisexhibition, mostly drawn from the HosomiMuseuminKyoto.Twoassociatedsymposia–onebytheAGNSWon23JuneandonebyTAASAjointlywiththeAGNSWon4August(seep25)willallowustoimmerseourselvesinthisbeguilingartsanddesigntradition.

TwootherarticlespresentaspectsofJapaneseart in the 19th/early 20th century, but fromquitedifferentperspectives.RhiannonPagetdiscusses theworkofFukudaKodōjin,whopainted in the literati or nanga traditionbasedonthespontaneous inkpaintingstylefavoured by Chinese scholars. She arguesthat,farfromexperiencingartisticexhaustion,nanga artists like Kodōjin were producingexpressive and visually exciting work,enlivened by its absorption of elements ofdecorative Japanesestylepainting, favouredinearly20thcenturyJapan.

TheglamourofKabukiinthe1920sand30sis the subject ofLucie Folan’s article,whichcovers the National Gallery of Australia’stravelling exhibitionStars of the Tokyo Stage,ondisplayatRMITMelbournefrom28June.Splendid kimono currently being producedby the Shochiku Costume Company aredisplayed alongside the woodblock printedactorportraitsbyartistNatoriShunsen.

Our final Japanese offering is an exquisite12th century Kannon Bosatsu statue acquiredby the National Gallery of Victoria last year.The detailed description provided by WayneCrothers,Curator,AsianArtattheNGV,canbecheckedoutbythoseofusluckyenoughtocatchthecurrentBuddhistartexhibitioninMelbourne.

This is a general issue of the TAASA Review,afterall,soourremainingarticlesofferaneclecticmixoftopics.

The pre Islamic collection held by thenewly builtMuseum of theMaldives is thefascinatingsubjectpresentedbyAnnProctor.Unfortunately,whilethisaccountofBuddhistartefacts, some uniquely carved from coral,will be a surprise to many readers, AnnsadlyreportsthatmanyofthesepieceswererecentlydestroyedbyIslamicextremists,notlongaftershevisitedtheMuseumatMalé.

Fortextilelovers,weoffertwoarticleswitha‘hands on’ perspective.ChrisDouglas takesus through his own journey of discoveryfrom the day when his eye caught sight ofan ornate embroidered chasuble in a smallantique shop inHanoi. His discovery leadshim to the village of Phu Nhai, where themaking of such Catholic vestments is stillveryalivetoday.

We also publish an article by Mary Jose,DirectorofAdelaidetextileshop,FabricofLife,basedonapresentationshemadeataseminarjointly run by TAASA and the QueenslandGalleryofModernArtinOctober2011.Hereshediscussesanumberoftextileenterprisesin the north of India, which offer excellentexamplesoforganisations committed to fairtradeprinciples.

Modern and contemporary art is alsocovered in this issue. Matt Cox’s article isconcerned with the way in which the lifeand works of modern Indonesian artistshave been appropriated by political ornationalistic movements. He cites the workof Sindudarsono Sudjojono, sometimesdescribed as the ‘Father of IndonesianModernArt’, as a case inpoint. Sudjojono’sself portraits and two biographies are usedheretorevealamorenuancedunderstandingof his life as an artist, one enveloped inpersonalconcernsratherthanreducedtohispoliticalactivistpublicpersona.

Two book reviews – one on author CaroleMuller’simagesofBaliAgavillagestakeninthe1980’s, reviewedbyAdrianVickers,andoneonAnneRichter andBruceCarpenter’smassive tome on Indonesian gold jewelleryreviewedbyGillGreen, complete themenuforthisJune2012issueoftheTAASAReview.

GillGrEEN•pRESIDENT

ArthistorianspecialisinginCambodianculture

CHriStiNaSUMNEr•VICE pRESIDENT

PrincipalCurator,DesignandSociety,PowerhouseMuseum,Sydney

aNNGUild•TREASURER

FormerDirectoroftheEmbroidersGuild(UK)

dYaNdrEaSEN•SECRETARY

HasaspecialinterestinJapanesehaikuandtankapoetry

HWEi-FE’NCHEaH

VisitingFellow,SchoolofCulturalInquiry,AustralianNationalUniversity.

JoCElYNCHEY

VisitingProfessor,DepartmentofChineseStudies,UniversityofSydney;formerdiplomat

MattCoX

StudyRoomCo-ordinator,ArtGalleryofNewSouthWales,withaparticularinterestinIslamicArtofSoutheastAsia

PHiliPCoUrtENaY

FormerProfessorandRectoroftheCairnsCampus,JamesCookUniversity,withaspecialinterestinSoutheastAsianceramics

lUCiEFolaN

AssistantCurator,AsianArt,NationalGalleryofAustralia

SaNdraForBES

Editorialconsultantwithlong-standinginterestinSouthandSoutheastAsianart

JoSEFaGrEEN

GeneraleditorofTAASAReview.CollectorofChineseceramics,withlong-standinginterestinEastAsianartasstudentandtraveller

MiN-JUNGKiM

CuratorofAsianArts&DesignatthePowerhouseMuseum

aNNProCtor

ArthistorianwithaparticularinterestinVietnam

YUKiESato

FormerVicePresidentoftheOrientalCeramicSocietyofthePhilippineswithwide-ranginginterestinAsianartandculture

SaBriNaSNoW

HasalongassociationwiththeArtGalleryofNewSouthWalesandaparticularinterestintheartsofChina

HoN.aUditor

RosenfeldKantandCo

S t a t E r E P r E S E N t a t i V E S

AUSTRALIANCAPITALTERRITORY

roBYNMaXWEll

VisitingFellowinArtHistory,ANU;SeniorCuratorofAsianArt,NationalGalleryofAustralia

NORTHERNTERRITORY

JoaNNaBarrKMaN

CuratorofSoutheastAsianArtandMaterialCulture,MuseumandArtGalleryoftheNorthernTerritory

QUEENSLAND

rUSSEllStorEr

CuratorialManager,AsianandPacificArt,QueenslandArtGallery

SOUTHAUSTRALIA

JaMESBENNEtt

CuratorofAsianArt,ArtGalleryofSouthAustralia

VICTORIA

CarolCaiNS

CuratorAsianArt,NationalGalleryofVictoriaInternational

4

n2001,theFrenchfashionbrandHermèsfeatured the woodblock-printed pattern

books A world of things (Momoyogusa) of1909–10byKamisakaSekka(1866–1942)asthecoverstoryfor its lifestylemagazineLeMondeHermès.FewwouldhavebeensurprisedhadthecoverillustratedaworkbyleadersofJapanesecontemporary art like Takashi Murakami orYoshitomoNara, but the inclusion of Sekka’sbook in such a high-profile fashionmagazinewasperplexing.Whowasthisfigurefromthelast century?Except forahandfulof JapanesescholarsandcollectorsinKyotoandtheUnitedStates,thename‘KamisakaSekka’wasrelativelyunknown. However, taking the cue from theHermèspublication,awaveofre-appreciationofSekka’sartisticachievementshastakenplaceinJapanandbeyondoverthelastdecade.

Since then, various large scale exhibitionsand monographic works have contributed tocementhispositionasavisionaryfigurewhore-invigoratedthedecorativetraditionofRinpatoforgetheuniqueaestheticsofJapaneseartanddesigninthetransitionalperiodat theturnofthe19thcentury.

From 22 June to 26 August this year, theArtGallery ofNSWwill host the exhibitionKamisaka Sekka: Dawn of modern Japanesedesign. In contrast to previous shows that

have focussed solely on Sekka, the Sydneyexhibition will take a more comprehensiveapproach, embracing the entire tradition ofRinpa, the artistic lineage often describedas the one which ‘most fully expressesJapanese sensibility and emotion’ (Yamane1988). By updating this traditional style tobreathe new life into Japanese craft design,Sekka also contributed greatly to sustaininginterest in Rinpa aesthetics into themodernera.Thankstotheaccessibilityofitsimageryand its compelling graphic quality, Rinpacontinuestodelightcontemporaryaudiencesand exert remarkable influences on currentartisticpractices.ThediverseimpactofRinpaon21stcenturyartistsanddesignerssuchasAi Yamaguchi, Tarō Yamamoto, KitamuraTatsuo Unryūan and Sydney-based fashiondesignerAkira Isogawaconstitutes the thirdcomponentoftheexhibition.

Kamisaka Sekka was born on 12 January1866 in Kyoto. Two years after his birth,Japanwastransformedfromafeudalsocietyunder the Tokugawa shogunate of the Edoperiod (1603–1868) to amodernnation stateunderthe‘enlightenedrule’ofEmperorMeiji(r. 1867–1912). Drastic reforms in political,social, economic and educational sphereswereenactedbythenew‘modernising’Meijigovernment in an effort to achieve parity

with industrialised nations in the West.In the arts, too, the era was one of intensetransformation and disruption, marked bya reciprocal exchange of cultural ideas. There-establishment of imperial rule resultedin themoveof the court toEdo,whichwasrenamedTokyo andmade the capital of the‘new’age.This leftKyotoatapsychologicalandeconomicdisadvantage.However,thankstotheastutenessofthefirsttwogovernorsofKyotoprefecture, awide rangeof industrialand educational projects were implementedto revive and improve the quality andproductionof textiles, lacquerware,ceramicsandothercraftstoensurethecity’seconomicfuture(Conant1995).

In 1881, Sekka began to study Shijō-schoolpainting with Suzuki Zuigen (1847–1901).Even though Zuigen taught at the KyotoPrefecture Painting School, a newlyestablished art school with a Western-influenced educational system, Sekka chosetofollowatraditionaltrainingathisteacher’sprivatelyrunatelier.Sixyearslater,hebeganan apprenticeship in the Kawashima TextileFactory inKyoto, a leading textileproducer,to learn about the production of sketchesfor textile designs. This is indicative ofSekka’s rather traditionalist outlook onthe arts, namely one that made no cleardistinctionbetweenthe‘fine’and‘decorativearts’or‘crafts’.

In 1889, Sekka came under the tutelage ofKishiKōkei(1840–1922),anartist,craftsman,andgovernmentalofficialinchargeofreformsin the field of design. As Kōkei’s assistant,Sekka participated in projects involving thedesignandproductionof lacquerobjects fordomesticandinternationalexhibitionsaswellas for the Japanese ImperialHousehold andtheBritishroyalfamily(Satō2003).

From the 1890s onwards Sekka becameincreasingly engaged in the reform andpromotion of Kyoto’s traditional crafts byparticipatinginvariousstudygroups,servingas juror for crafts exhibitions and acting aseditoroftheJournaloftheKyotoArtAssociation.In1901,hewasdispatchedtoEuropebytheKyotoprefecturalgovernmenttoobservetheGlasgow International Exhibition. Duringhis six-month stay, he also travelled to anumber of European countries to researchcontemporary trends in the arts and crafts.ButwhileSekkawasopentotheaestheticsof

4

I

K a M i S a K a S E K K a : d a W N o F M o d E r N J a Pa N E S E d E S i G N

KhanhTrinh

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

CiGarEttEBoXWitHdESiGNoFaFarMEr’SHUt,KAMISAKA SEKKA (DESIGN)/KAMISAKA YOKICHI (LACQUER), 1920S. GOLD, LEAD,

mAki-e LACQUER AND MOTHER-OF-pEARL INLAY ON WOOD, 6 x 12.5 x 15.3 CM. HOSOMI MUSEUM, KYOTO

5TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

ArtNouveauandBritishArtsandCrafts,theexposure to thesenewstylesonlyreinforcedhis belief that the future of Japanese craftdesignlay intherevivalandpreservationofnativetraditions,andnotintheemulationofWesternartistictrends.

After his return from Europe, Sekka took ateachingpostinthedesigndepartmentattheKyotoMunicipalSchoolofArtsandCrafts.Hewasalso instrumental in establishingvariousart associations such as the Katsumikai andtheKyōbikai.Thefirstwasastudygroupthatoffered emerging artists a forum to researchpaintinganddesignunderhisguidance,whilethe latter created a platform for establishedcraft artists to explore design concepts andexhibittheirworkstwiceyearly.

The activities of such associations was ofenormous importance for craft artists in thepromotion of their work, since government-sponsored exhibitions, such as theMinistry ofEducationArtExhibition(knownas‘Bunten’)didnothaveacategoryforappliedartsuntil1927.Bythe1920s,SekkawasoneofthemostinfluentialfiguresinthefieldofartanddesigninKyoto.Inhiscapacityas‘artisticdirector’,hewasabletoinfluence first-hand every stage of production,from the development and improvement ofdesigns,tothecollaborationwithcraftartistsincreatingnewtypesofproducts,andfinallytotheplanningofexhibitions.

While Sekka’s artistic roots were in thenaturalisticShijōstyle,hewouldeventuallyturnhisattentiontoRinpaartists,especiallyHon’amiKōetsu (1558–1637), Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716)and his younger brother Kenzan (1663–1743).Originated in Kyoto at the beginning of the1600s,RinpaholdsauniquepositioninJapanesearthistoryinthatitwasnotbasedonthepassingoffamilylineagefromgenerationtogeneration.Rather,Rinpaartistswereboundbytheshareddedication to a particular style, one that hascontinuedforoverfourcenturieswithoutdirecttransmission through a close master-pupilrelationship.Sinceitsinceptionintheearly17thcentury, artists of the Rinpa tradition revivedthecourtlyaestheticsoftheHeianperiod(794-1185) to formulate a new visual vocabulary,characterisedbydecorativemotifsdrawnfromnature, classical literature and the quotidian.Thesearerenderedinabstractedshapes,daringcomposition and brilliant colour and couldbeappliedonawiderangeoftwo-andthree-dimensionalobjects.

Thereare tworeasonsforSekka’sshift to thedecorativeRinpatradition.Firstly,hismentorKishiKōkeiwaswellknownasamemberofagroupof teapractitionersandconnoisseursinKyoto,whoattheturnofthe19thcentury

instigatedarenewedappreciationofKōetsu’slife and art. In 1913, Sekka assistedKōkei inestablishing the Kōetsu Association. It wasthrough these activities that Sekka becameacquainted with Kōetsu’s wide-rangingaccomplishmentsinceramics,lacquerwareandwoodblock-printedbooks.Healsounderstoodthe older master’s significance as a designerandsupervisorofcraftproduction.

Secondly, there was a craze for Rinpa art inJapanattheturnofthe19thcentury.WiththeincreasedpopularityofArtNouveau,Japanesenewspapers attempted to promote the art ofKōrin,KenzanandSakaiHōitsu (1761–1828),the progenitor of the Edo Rinpa tradition,as Japanese beacons of this European style.The ‘Kōrin pattern’ or ‘Genroku pattern’, inparticular,wasbroadlyandcleverlymarketedby department stores such as Mitsukoshiand Takashimaya. This sparked a vogue forkimonodecorationinaKōrinstyle,aswellasare-evaluationofRinpaartsandcrafts.

In his writings for various art magazines,Sekka frequently questioned the originalityandartisticmeritsoftrendy,importedWesternaestheticssuchasArtNouveau.For instance,he pointed out that the curvilinear linescharacteristic of this stylewere nothing new,as they already enjoyed widespread use intheHeianandKamakuraperiods(1185–1333)(Sakakibara2008).Ontheotherhand,hewasalsoscepticalaboutthenewlyforgednationalpainting style called ‘Nihonga’ (literally,‘Japanese painting’), claiming thatmost of itderived from Chinese and Western models,and that nothing but the paintings by Kōrin

could be called ‘pure Nihonga’ (Sakakibara2003). Believing that excellent design –including interior, industrial and graphicdesign –woulddominatemodern aesthetics,Sekka was particularly drawn to the Rinpaphilosophythatconsideredtheproductionofbeautifulobjectsusedindailylifeasequalinimportancetothecreationofobjectsforpurelyaesthetic pleasure. Also, he recognised thatthe accessibility of Rinpa motifs, its abstractdecorativeness and brilliant colour palettewere the perfect ingredients for a distinctiveJapanese visual vocabulary that had at thesametimeamodernanduniversalappeal.

In the spirit of a trueRinpa artist, Sekkawasprolific in a broad range of media includingpaintings, lacquerware, ceramics, textiles andwoodblockprintsaswellasgardenandinteriordesign.Thesubjectsofhispaintingsaredrawnfrom the rich Rinpa repertoire: flowers andgrassesofthefourseasons-symbolsofnature’stransientbeauty;scenesfromcourtlyliteratureandpoetry,aswellasfiguresandscenesfromChineseandJapaneselegendsandfolklore.

Theextensiveuseofthesoft‘boneless’(mokkotsu)brushworktechniquethatconcentratesonshaperather than descriptive line, the suggestive‘pooled ink’ technique (tarashikomi) aswell asapredilectionforminimisationofthedepictedsubjects are further characteristics borrowedfromtheRinpastylelexicon.YetSekka’sworksare by no means derivative. He imbued hispaintingswithamodernflair throughtheuseofvibrantchemicaldyesandabstractedforms,both ofwhichwere newly imported to JapanfromtheWest.

FloWErSoFtHEtWElVEMoNtHS,KAMISAKA SEKKA, 1920–25. ONE LEAF FROM TWELVE ALBUM LEAVES,

NOW FRAMED, INK AND COLOUR ON SILK, 24.7 x 31.7 CM. HOSOMI MUSEUM, KYOTO

6 TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

Hislacquerware,mostlydoneincollaborationwithhisyoungerbrotherYūkichi(1886–1938),owemuchtotheworksofKōetsuandKōrin.They display simplified, graphically strongdesigns andan extensiveuseofbroadareasofgoldmakie,leadandmother-of-pearlinlaysthat create a startling contrast to the plaindarklacquerground.Sekka’sceramicdesignsareindebtedtothedistinctivestyleoriginatedbyOgataKenzan.Oftenmadeinsetsfordailyuse, they typicallyshowminimaldecorationthat focus on a single magnified motif setagainst a predominantly blank ground andreveal a great sensibility in accommodatingtheshapeofthevesselintheoverallconceptofsurfacedecoration.

Sekka’s genius in reinventing traditionalsubjects and expressive idioms, synthesisingthem with contemporary trends to forge auniquevisuallanguageisbestrepresentedinhis woodblock printed pattern books, mostnotably the above mentioned three-volumeset A world of things (Momoyogusa). For thiswork,SekkareprisesfamiliarmotifsfromtherepertoireoftheShijōandRinpaschoolsbutenlargesanddistortsthemainmotifssothattheyfilltheentirecompositionalsurface.Theforceful design and abstract graphic qualityof the imagery are enhanced by the flatapplicationofbroadwashesofbrightaniline

colour absent of contour lines. Originallyintended as decorative motifs that can beappliedonvariouscraftsmedia,theseprintscouldbeappreciatedasworksofartfortheirexcellentaestheticallureandextremelyhighqualityprintingtechniques.

From early in his career, Sekka choose totravel a road different from many of hiscontemporaries. In his move to study in atraditionally run studio and to become anapprentice as a designer for craft objects,he resisted the modern Western-influencedsystem of art education and exhibition.A firm believer in the merits of Japaneseartistic traditions,herevivedtheRinpastyleby employing it as the basis for modernJapanese design. Moreover, Sekka did notappear interested in casting his net beyondtheKyoto-Osakaregion.Allof thesereasonsmight explain his relative anonymity inmodernJapanesearthistory,indicatedbythefactthattherewasahiatusofalmost60yearsbetween the first retrospective organised bytheKyotoCityMuseumofArt in 1944, twoyears after Sekka’s death, and the extensivesoloshowattheKyotoNationalMuseumofModernArtin2003.

KamisakaSekka:DawnofmodernJapanesedesigndraws together 105 paintings, ceramics,

lacquerware, textile andwoodblockprintedbooks dating from the early 1600s to thepresent.Themajorityoftheworksondisplayare from the Hosomi Museum, Kyoto. Theexhibition will be closed on 23-24 July for amid-term rotation of paintings and lacquer.A symposium, supported by the ToshibaInternationalFoundationandtheDepartmentof Japanese Studies, Sydney University, isscheduledfortheopeningweekendon23June.

Khanh Trinh is Curator of Japanese Art at the Art

Gallery of NSW and of this exhibition.

rEFErENCESConant, Ellen p. 1995. ‘Tradition in transition, 1868–1890’ in

Ellen p Conant (ed), Nihonga: transcending the past, Japanese

style painting 1868–1968, Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri.

Sato Keiji. ‘Kamisaka Sekka and Kyoto lacquer as modern Rimpa

art’ in Donald Woods & Yuko Ikeda (eds), 2003. kamisaka

Sekka: Rimpa master, pioneer of modern Japanese design, The

National Museum of Modern, Kyoto & Birmingham Museum of Art,

Birmingham, Alabama.

Sakakibara Yoshio. ‘A study of Kamisaka Sekka’ in Woods & Ikeda

(eds) 2003.

Sakakibara Yoshio. 2008. kamisaka Sekka no sekai, Rinpa kara

modan dezain e no kakebashi (The world of Kamisaka Sekka: the

bridge between Rinpa art and modern design), Heibonsha Corona

Books, Tokyo.

Yamane Yuzo et al. 1998. Rimpa art from the idemitsu collection,

Tokyo. British Museum press, Tokyo & London.

ENtréEdiSHESiNtHESHaPEoFaStrEaM,KAMISAKA SEKKA (DESIGN)/KIYOMIzU ROKUBEI IV & KIYOMIzU ROKUBEI V (CERAMICS), 1920.

pORCELAIN WITH UNDERGLAzE BLUE ENAMEL, 3.6 x 10.8 x 16.6 CM EACH. pRIVATE COLLECTION, KYOTO

7TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

tarsoftheTokyostage–aNationalGalleryof Australia travelling exhibition on

display at the Royal Melbourne Instituteof Technology Gallery from 28 June 2012 –celebratestheglamourandvitalityofJapan’skabuki theatre in the 1920s and 30s. Forcenturies,thetheatricalartformofkabukihasinspiredvisualartists,especiallyprintmakersconcerned with depicting contemporary lifeandculture.Theexhibition,featuringsuperbwoodblock printed actor portraits by Tokyoartist Natori Shunsen (1886–1960), exploresthisrelationship.TheprintsareanimatedbyaselectionofspectacularkabukirobesmadeforusebyTokyo’sShochikuTheatreCompany.

Tokyointhe1920sandearly30swasthesceneof dramatic social change as the city wasrapidly growing and modernising. Between1890 and 1920 Tokyo’s population tripled toapproximately3million,mainlyruralJapanesepeople relocating in search of opportunitiesand employment (Sawada 1996:61). Modernindustries developed, private corporationsbecame more important, mass consumerismincreased, social movements and politicalgroupsproliferatedandin1925Japanesemenovertwenty-fiveweregrantedsuffrage(Jansen2002).Thecityscapeitselfchangeddramatically,accelerated by rebuilding programs after theGreatKantoearthquakeof1923.

In this environment, there was an influx ofWestern ideas and fashions. Western-style

clothing was commonly worn, particularlyby those living in major cities. New formsof modern imported urban entertainmentbecame popular, with Japanese peopleembracing cafés, jazz clubs, dancing,magazines, department store shopping,cinemaandspectatorsportssuchasbaseball(Tipton2000;Brown2001).Kabukiwasforcedtoadapttothechangingtimes,asithadmanytimesinthepast.

Kabuki originated in Kyoto in the early17th century as a form of popular streetentertainment when lower-class women,oftenprostitutes,beganpresentinghumorousplaysanddances.Afteraseriesofgovernmentbans, all kabuki roles came tobeperformedbymen.Inthe18thand19thcenturies,kabukiflourished as part of the ‘floating world’ ofJapan’s cities. Closely identified with theentertainment and red-light districts, itstheatres were located alongside teashops,brothelsanddrinkingestablishments.Duringthe Meiji period (1868–1912), kabuki waselevatedtoareputableart,officiallysupportedasasymbolofJapan’snationalculture.Kabukibecamearefined,butstillsomewhatirreverent,theatricalform(Leiter2002).

Kabuki plays range greatly, from epicperiod dramas to real life domestic plays,to those about the criminal underworldor supernatural beings, from comedies totragedies and tales expressedonly indance.

Itsactingischaracterisedbyacodifiedstyleofexaggerated poses, movements and stylisedspeech, with music accompanying scenesand heightening dramatic moments. Visualspectacle is extremely important, with bold,ornateandcolourfulstagesettings,costumes,makeup,propsandelaboratestagetrickssuchas lighting, smoke effects and mechanicaldevicesincludingwirestoallowactorstofly,trapdoorsandrotatingstages.

Throughoutitshistory,kabukiactors–adoredandgossipedaboutinthesamewayasmoviestars are today – have been wildly popularfor their exciting portrayals, extraordinarycharactersandcolourfulpersonallives.

From its beginnings kabuki had an airof outrageousness, with cross-dressing,sexual innuendo,bravadoandexaggeratedhistrionics…kabukiactorswereonthepaleof society, beneath the official four-classsystemofsamurai-farmer-artisan-merchant.The irony is that these outlaw-like figurescametobepopularsuperheroes-sexualandculturalicons.(Gerstle2012)

Bythe1920sand30s,kabukiwasmainstreamentertainment,actorscontinuedtobeidolisedand performances were well attended.However, theatre companies were awareof the competition from modern pursuits,and feared losing audiences and patronage.In response, writers, actors and producers

S

S P E C t a C l E a N d F a N t a S Y: t H E E X H i B i t i o N S TA R S O F T H E T O K Y O S TA G E

LucieFolan

MatSUMotoKoSHiroViiaSBENKEiiN'tHESUBSCriPtioNliSt', NATORI SHUNSEN, 1935. WOODBLOCK pRINT, EMBOSSING,

INK AND COLOUR ON pApER, 39.0 x 53.0 CM. NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA, CANBERRA, pAULINE AND JOHN GANDEL FUND, 2011

MatSUMotoKoSHiroViiaSUMEoMarUiN'SUGaWara'S

SECrEtSoFCalliGraPHY',NATORI SHUNSEN, 1926, WOODBLOCK

pRINT; INK AND COLOUR ON pApER, 38.2 x 25.9 CM.

NGA CANBERRA, GIFT OF JENNIFER GORDON, 1998

8 TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

created new dramas, some of whichassimilatedWestern-styleactingandstaging.At the same time, popular plays of the pastwererevivedwithevengreateremphasisonelaboratesetsandextravagantcostumes.

Itwasinthiserathattheatrecompaniesbecamebigbusinessenterprises. In1902,Shochiku–nowJapan’smajorkabukiproducer–begangradually taking over theatres and signingprogressiveandinfluentialactors.By1923,thecompany held amonopoly, and also startedproducingmovies. Shochikuwas concernedwith retaining kabuki’s unique traditionsand in keeping up with popular fashions.With significant resources, the companywas able to create and actively promote itslavishproductionsandadoredstars,helpingto foster a resurgence in the popularity oftheatre-going (Leiter 2002). In short, kabukithrived,experiencinga ‘moderngoldenage’(Gerstle2012).

Dress is integral to kabuki, an essentialelement of the stage setting and overallartistryofperformance.Toenhanceanactor’sstage presence, costumesmay be oversized,outlandishly shaped with strong decorativemotifs, or made using techniques such asembroiderytocreatespectacularvisualeffects:

“…anotablearrayofcolours,attimesalmostdiscordant…produce dazzling costumes ofincrediblebeautyandunexpectedvibrancy.”(Shaver1966:113)

Distinctive ensembles represent particularcharacters, allowing immediate recognitionand helping audiences follow complex plots.Foronnagata(female-roleactors),costumeandmakeup transform the male actor, allowingconvincingportrayalsofbeautyandfemininity.Particular styles, garment types, coloursand motifs also symbolise age, social status,moralityorrelationshipsbetweencharacters.

Kabukidressmaybepure fantasy,butmoreoften is based on historical Japanese fashions.Somehistoryplayspresentmagnificent,colourfulandornatecostumesoftheperiodinwhichtheplayisset,whileothersportraythepopularstylesof the Edo period (1615–1868), when kabukiwas at its height. The latter typically echo theflamboyantclothingwornintheurbanpleasurequarters by wealthy Edo (Tokyo) residents aswellasprostitutes,geishaandotherentertainers.Kabukirobesmayalsobebrazenlyanachronistic,with beauty and entertainment valued overhistoricalaccuracy.Indomesticdramas,simplercottonclothingisoftenworn.Again,thestylesoftheEdoperiodareoftenfavoured(Shaver1966).

The rich costumesondisplay inStars of theTokyo stage aremade from expensive showyfabrics,epitomisingthecostumesoftheTokyostage.Therobeswererecentlyproduced,butfollow styles and motifs established duringthe Edo period (1615–1868), subtly refinedinto their current fixed forms in the earlydecadesofthe20thcentury.IntheEdoperiod,actors, theatre producers and costumiersdesigned costumes collaboratively. Whilethereislittlescopeforextrememodificationstoday,minorchangesmaybemadetosuittheperformanceofan importantactor (personalcommunicationwithShochikustaff2011).

The Gallery’s brilliant akahime (red princess)robe is reserved for leading onnagata (femaleroles) such as Princess Yaegaki in Japan’stwenty-fourparagonsoffilialpietyorShizukainYoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees. It ispatterned with ornate embroidered wisteria,plum blossom, chrysanthemums, clematis,bladesofgrass,mapleleavesandreedsagainsta lattice of gold thread. With long trailingsleeves, the furisodekimono–a stylepopularwithyoungEdo-periodwomenofthepleasurequarters – is ideal for the stylish dances ofgrief-stricken lovers, while the padded hemallowsactorstoglideacrossthestage.

ThemagnificentensemblefortheroleofBenkeiintheperioddramaThesubscriptionlistexemplifiesthefantastic,symbolicandrole-specificaspectsofkabukicostumes.ThebulkyclothingwornbyBenkei, a samurai retainer of Japanesehistoryimmortalised in various plays, is designedto enhance the actor’s physical presence. Thesubscription list was adapted from a play oftheno theatre,andtheoutfitthereforeconsistsof no garments such as oguchi (wide-mouth)trousers with auspicious Buddhist wheel andcloudmotifs,ablackhappigarmentemblazonedwith gold and a checked twill under-robe.

In The subscription list, Benkei dresses as ayamabushi (mountain-dwelling priest) tosmugglehisfugitivemasterthroughablockade.While the costume is far more opulent thanthatofa realyamabushi, theaccoutrementsofpompon,brocade,hatandtasselledneckpiecearesignifiersofthepriesthood.Thecostume’sdetailsandcolourpalettedatefromthe1920sor30s–themegastarMatsumotoKoshiroVIIisportrayedwearingthesamedesignina1935printbyartistNatoriShunsen.

Shunsen was clearly deeply engaged in theworld of kabuki. Between 1925 and the mid1930s, he produced two series of bold actorprints depicting the kabuki stars of the dayas legendary characters at iconic momentsin performance. Published by WatanabeShozaburo(1885–1962),theportraitsprovidea

KaBUKiCoStUMEForPriNCESSYaEGaKiiN'JaPaN'StWENtY-FoUrParaGoNSoFFilialPiEtY',

C. 2000, SHOCHIKU COSTUME COMpANY. SILK DAMASK, GOLD THREAD; EMBROIDERY, LAID COUCHING.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA, CANBERRA, pAULINE AND JOHN GANDEL FUND, 2011

9TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

KaBUKiCoStUMEForBENKEiiN'tHESUBSCriPtioNliSt', C. 2000, SHOCHIKU COSTUME COMpANY.

SILK AND GOLD THREAD BROCADE, EMBROIDERY, LAID COUCHING, pOMpONS, pLAITED CORD, TASSELS, TWILL WOVEN pLAID.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA, CANBERRA, pAULINE AND JOHN GANDEL FUND, 2011

fascinatingrecordofkabukiduringtheTaisho(1912–26) and early Showa (1926–89) periods,a compendium of the great actors of the dayin their best-loved roles. Made for theatreaficionados, each portrait highlights costumedetails,nuancesof facial expression,poseandmakeuptoconveythemagicofperformance.

Shunsen’s portraits capture the tensioninherent in kabuki’s most celebrated mie(dramaticposes). For instance, hisportrait ofBenkei shows the samurai holding a blankscroll and audaciously concocting a list ofnames to convince his enemies that he is arealpriest.Similarly,theimageofMatsumotoKoshiro VII as Umeomaru depicts the mostfamoussceneofSugawara’ssecretsofcalligraphy.The heroic character, distinguished by hisred stripes of makeup and bold costume, istypically played in the brash exaggeratedlymasculinearagoto(roughthing)style.

Other portraits from Shunsen’s repertoireillustrate the accomplished performancesof onnagata stars. The print of NakamuraFukusukeVplayingtheromanticfemaleleadinTheKatsuraRiverandtheeternalbondsofloveisintenselyfeminineandamovingportraitofa youngwoman contemplating suicide aftera scandalous love affair. Another portrait

depictstheelegantakahimecostumewornbytheheroineShizuka.

Revealingtheinnovationsandpopularfashionsoftheperiod,twoofShunsen’sportraitsdepictstars from more modern acting genres – theprogressiveactorSawadaShojiroandthemoviestarOkochiDenjiro.Inthe1930s,moviesmadein Japanwere becoming increasingly popularwith Japanese audiences. Okochi Denjirostarredinnumerousfilmsabouttheone-eyed,one-armed swashbuckling ronin (masterlesssamurai)TangeSazen.ThegrimacingDenjiro,a scar across his face, is shown in the act ofpullingouthis sword,dressed inadistinctivecalligraphy-embellishedrobe.

As well as reflecting the flourishing of pre-WorldWar II kabuki, Shunsen’s prints havebecomeinternationallyfamousasoutstandingexamplesoftheshin-hangamovement.Inthe1920s,manyartists,writers and intellectualswere grapplingwith ideas ofmodernisationand Japanese identity. Art movementsto preserve traditional Japanese media,techniques, aesthetics and subject mattercoexistedwiththosededicatedtointroducingthepracticesandideasofmodernWesternart,with many artists seeking to synthesise theseeminglyopposedapproaches(Ajioka1998).

Inprintmaking,thesecurrentswereexpressedin the shin-hanga (new print) and sosaku-hanga (creative print) movements. Sosaku-hangaadvocatedtheartistassolecreatorofaworkofart, andvaluedpersonal, expressive,original printed images. Shin-hanga, foundedby influential publisherWatanabe ShozaburosoughttopreserveandreinvigoratetraditionalJapaneseprintmakingtoproducecommerciallyviableprints(ReigleNewland1990).

Shunsen’sexquisiteprintswerecreatedthroughthe time-honoured collaborative processinvolving publisher, artist, block-carver andprinter. The images display the influence ofhistoricalJapaneseactorprints–oneofthemajorlong-standingthemesofJapaneseprintmaking– aswell as themodern international concernwithrealisticrepresentation.

Stars of the Tokyo stage presents costumes andprints related to the modern flowering ofJapan’s kabuki theatre, as well as exemplaryimages of the brief 20th century resurgenceof traditional Japanese printmaking. TheexhibitionisthefirsttoshowthecompletesetofNatoriShunsen’scelebrated1920sprintseries.StarsoftheTokyostagealsoprovidesanextremelyrareopportunity –whilekabuki costumes areregularly seen on stage in Tokyo, Kyoto andOsaka, audiencesoutsideof Japanare seldomabletoviewthesesumptuousgarments.

Stars of the Tokyo stage will be on show inMelbourne at theRoyalMelbourne Instituteof Technology Gallery from 28 June to 25August 2012. The exhibition will then tourotherAustralianvenues.

Lucie Folan is the curator of Stars of the Tokyo stage,

a National Gallery of Australia travelling exhibition.

rEFErENCESSawada, Mitziko 1996. Tokyo life, New York dreams: urban

Japanese visions of America, 1890-1924. University of California

press, Los Angeles.

Jansen, Marius 2002. The making of modern Japan. Harvard

University press, Cambridge.

Tipton, Elise 2002. Being modern in Japan: culture and society

from the 1910s to the 1930s. Australian Humanities Research

Foundation, Sydney.

Brown, Kendall H., et al 2001. Taisho chic: Japanese modernity,

nostalgia, and deco. Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu.

Leiter, Samuel L. 2002. A kabuki reader: history and performance.

M.E. Sharpe, New York.

Gerstle, Andrew C. 2012. ‘The cult of the actor’ in Folan, Lucie

(ed) Stars of the Tokyo stage: Natori Shunsen’s kabuki actor prints.

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

Shaver, Ruth 1966. kabuki costume. C. E. Tuttle Company, Vermont.

Ajioka, Chiaki et al 1998. modern boy modern girl: modernity in

Japanese art 1910-1935. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.

Reigle Newland, Amy & Uhlenbeck, Chris 1990. Ukiyo-e to shin hanga:

the art of Japanese woodblock prints. Mallard press, New York.

10 TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

he softly glowing robe hung from an oldhangerinadarkenedcorneroftheantique

shop.InthefilteredlightoftheHanoistreetscape,there was something about the quality of therobe’sreflectingfabric thatcaughtmyeye,soIaskedtoseethepiecemoreclosely.Iimmediatelyrecognisedwhattherobewasusedfor,butIwassurprisedtoseeitinNorthernVietnam.

Itwasachasuble:thesleeveless,coloured,over-tunicwornbyCatholicpriestswhentheysayMass.Ithadanopeningatthetoptoadmitthehead,andthesideswereopenandlooselytied.Theformwasstiff,connectedattheshoulders,so that each half would lie against the chestandback.Thefabricwasmadeofgoldmetallicthread with heavily embroidered beatifiedfaces, flowers, and symbols of the SacredHeart.Onthebackoftherobe,asmallcarvedwooden torso sat attached, with protrudinghandsthatseemedtobemakingtheSignoftheCross.Therobe’spurposewastoinstilasenseofceremonyandgrandeurintotheMass,andasIhandledit,itwhispered“lookatme”andthatwasallIcoulddo.

I immediately wanted to know more. Wherehad this piece come from? How old was it?WhatwasanornateCatholicrobeofthisnaturedoinginanantiqueshopinHanoi,Vietnamin2006?Thesalesassistantwasunabletoanswerthesequestions, sowhile Ipurchased the robe,I arranged to return the next day tomeet theshop’sowners,GiangandLan,ahusbandandwifeteamwhoprovedtobeexperiencedantiquecollectors specialising in Vietnamese culturalpieces.Giang toldme thatmynewly acquiredrobehadrecentlybeenfoundononeofhissortiesintotheNorthVietnamesecountryside,andthattherobehadbeensoldbecauseitwas“old”andwasnolongerused.Giangdidn’tknowwhere,when,orbywhomitwasmade,butIguessedthathecouldhelpmefindout.

I arranged to stay in touchwith Giang andLan, and over the next three years, asmorepiecesemergedontotheHanoimarketplace,Icollectedaround50Catholicartefacts-morechasubles, processional banners, and severalchurch decorations. Some of them wereelaborate, others not, and their conditionvaried,butIwasintriguedbytheuniquenessof the craftwork in thesepieces.Herewas awonderfulexampleoftextileart-madeforaspecificgroup,inaspecificplace,withstrongcross-culturalconnectionsbetweenWestandEast - and I felt that itwas important that I

trytofindoutmoreaboutthisseeminglylostworldofCatholictextilesinVietnam.

CatholicisminVietnamwasslowtoemerge.Although Portuguese missionaries firstbroughtCatholicismtoVietnamin1533,theyencountered a society that was classicallyConfucian, and it was not until the arrivaloftheJesuitsintheearlydecadesofthe17thcenturythatChristianitybegantoestablishitspositionwithinthelocalpopulation.

By the early 1800’s Christianity wastolerated and missionary activities were

permitted,howeverthisco-existencebetweenChristianity and Confucianism was not tolast.Bythemid-1830sChristianityhadfallenfoul of the Emperor Minh Mang, and as aconsequence, many Catholic missionarieswereexecutedfortheirroleinsupporting(anunsuccessful) rebellion. Persistent uprisingscontinued to occur over the followingdecades,many ledbyCatholicpriests intenton installing a Christian monarch. Duringthe French colonial campaign against theVietnamese,manyCatholics joinedwith theFrench. When colonial rule was establishedin1883,theywererewardedwithpreferential

T

t H r E a d S o F H i S t o r Y: C a t H o l i C t E X t i l E S i N V i E t N a M

ChrisDouglasFUllCHaSUBlE, VIETNAM. GOLD COLOUR METALLIC THREAD GROUNDWEAVE, WITH SILK AppLIQUé pANELS EMBELLISHED WITH

SEQUINS AND METAL pIECES, EMBROIDERY. GARMENT LINED WITH COTTON. EARLY 20TH CENTURY. pHOTO: CHRIS DOUGLAS

11TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

treatmentingovernmentpostsandeducation,andthechurchwasgivenvasttractsofroyallandthathadbeenseized.ItwasafruitfulandprosperoustimeforCatholicisminVietnam.

ItwasnotuntiltheSecondWorldWarandtheJapanese occupation of Vietnam, that Frenchcontrolwasusurped.Whenthewarended,theFrenchGovernmentattemptedtoregaincontrolofVietnam,butitwasnotaneasytask.In1954aprovisionaldivisionofVietnamwasinstituted,with thenorthgiven to thecommunistbackedHoChiMinhandhisparty,andthesouthtotherulingEmperorBaoDai.CatholicsnolongerhadsupportinthenorthandindeedHoChiMinhandhisgovernmentregardedallreligiousactivityasareactionaryforce.ManyCatholicsmovedtothesouthandchurchdoorsclosed.WiththeensuingVietnamWarandthesubsequentvictoryofthecommunistnorthin1975,thesamefatebefelltheChristiansofthesouth.

By the early 1990s however, theVietnameseGovernment had decided adherence to apolitical ideology was less important thaneconomic development, and its relationshiptowardstheCatholicChurchbegantochange.Religiousfreedomswereonceagaintoleratedand thedoorsof theclosedchurchesstartedto re-open.Over thenextdecade the churchbegantoestablishitselfoncemore.

By this timeCatholicpriests rarelywore theold and more ornate vestments, and manyVietnamese churches were selling off theiroftendamagedpieces to fundmuchneededchurch repairs and community projects.ThesefactorscontributedtotheemergenceofchurchartefactsontothemarketplacebythetimeIarrivedinHanoiin2006.

Itwouldseemthattheseheavy,ornatepiecesbelongtothelateFrenchcolonialperiod,whentheCatholicChurchwasatitswealthiestandcould afford to commission such elaborate,and no doubt, expensive handiwork. It isalso likely that these pieces were put intostorage at the endof this colonialperiod, at

the beginning of the Japanese occupation orlater,asneedsdictated.

Awareofthishistory,andarmedwithphotosofmygrowingcollection,IreturnedtoHanoiin2011,stillunsureaboutwheretheyhadbeenmade.IcontactedacompanyinHanoimakingcontemporaryCatholicembroideredgarmentsfor theexportmarket.Theowners thought itmost likely that my pieces had been madein Europe. But this just didn’t make sensetome.Perhaps the fabrichadbeen importedfrom Europe, but the embroiderymust havebeenworked in Vietnam,where it had beena tradition since the 15th century. I felt thatthe work in the textiles I had collected wastoosimilar to theembroiderycraft that Iwasseeinginthestreetsofmodern-dayHanoi.

So,hopingtomeetsomeonewhocouldhelpme further, I again got in touchwithGiangandLanandarrangedforaguidetotakemesouth to thechurcheswheremytextileshadbeensourcedaround100kmfromHanoi.AswetravelledalongandIwasmusingonhowmuchgroundIhadtocoverinthetimethatIhad,mydriverannouncedthatwehadarrivedatTrungLinhchurch.Itwasawelcomestop,butitwasnotthechurchthatIwasheadingfor. Somehow, a miscommunication hadoccurred between my translator and driverand I found myself still a couple of hoursawayfrommyoriginaldestination.

Well, I thought, at least I was at a Church.At the suggestion of a local nun, we droveon to BuiChuCathedral around 5 km awaywhere I met Father Dominic. Showing himthe photographs ofmy textiles, I asked if herecognised these pieces, if he knew anythingaboutthemakers,andindeed,ifhecouldoffermeanyassistance.HewasayoungmansoIwasn’thopefulthathecouldshedanylightonmyquest.Tomyastonishmenthesaid,yes,hedid recognise thework from these garmentsand, yes, he did know where they wereprobably made, and yes, he could give medirections,andbeforeIgothere,wouldIliketo

seethetextilecollectionheldbytheCathedral?Ithoughtofmydriverandsmiled;whatstrokeofluck,whatquirkoffatehadbroughtushere?

Over the next few hours I was led througha remarkable display of Catholic history inVietnam. In one room lay around 40 glasscoffin-like cases: inside each, a life- sizedpriestly effigy, peacefully asleep. They toldthe story of the martyrs, and they werewearingtheirchasubles;justlikemine.AnotherbuildinghousedmyriadCatholic collectables- textiles, statues, furniture, altar pieces- twofloorsofwonderfullymadeobjectspreservedfor Catholic and Vietnam’s posterity. FatherDominicthensentmeofftoPhuNhai,asmallvillage only a few kilometres away, wheretheseitemswereprobablymade.ThereIfounda shop carving wooden religious statues,another, wooden tabernacles and crucifixes,andseveralothersmakingCatholictextiles.

Iaskedtheownerofonetextileshoptolookatmyphotographsandwhileheacknowledgedthat the work had most likely come fromthis area, hewasunsurewhohadmade thepiecesorwhen.Lookingaround,Icouldseemodern textiles of a similar nature beingembroideredwiththesamepatiencethathadbeenemployedforgenerations,andIrealisedthatIwasprobablynevergoingtoknowwhoexactlyhadmade thepieces Ihadcollected:my collection was a part of a much biggerpictureandIhadcomeascloseasIcouldtouncoveringitsintriguingstory.

AndthenitoccurredtomethatthisCatholicartformwasnotlost,farfromit.Itwasaliveand kicking, and I had just stumbled uponit again, propelled by a robe hanging in adarkenedcornerofanantiqueshopinHanoi.

Chris Douglas lives and works on the Gold Coast,

Australia where he runs his business “jula.com.au”,

selling handmade and collectable pieces. His interest

in textiles stems from many years of travelling and

collecting. He plans to return to Vietnam in 2012 to

continue his research on Catholic textiles.

rooMoFMartYrS,BUI CHU CATHEDRAL, VIETNAM. pHOTO: CHRIS DOUGLAS

ModErNdaYEMBroidErYWorKSHoP,pHU NHAI VILLAGE,

VIETNAM. pHOTO: CHRIS DOUGLAS

12 TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

apaneseliteratipaintingornangafromtheearly20thcenturyhasbeenlongneglected

by studies of both literati and modernpainting. Surveys ofnanga tend to concludewith the mid-19th century, suggesting thatwhat followed represents the movement’sdecline. The antiquarian and independenttendencies of nanga have meant that it hasbeensimilarlymarginalisedbythepreferenceforlinearprogressionandacademicpaintingamongscholarsofmodernart.

The liminal position of modern nanga,between China and Japan, ancient andmodern, however, makes it a rewardingsubject of inquiry for those seeking tounderstand Japanese painting. Many artistsworkinginthenanga idiombetweenthelate19th and early 20th centuries also drew onolder, decorative traditions, coalescing withthe broader interest in creating a modernart that would express Japan’s cultural andpoliticalautonomyandunity.Onesuchartistwho convincingly united aspects of nativistpainting with nanga was the poet-painterFukudaKodōjin(1865-1944).

The concept of nanga was informed largelybythewritingsoftheChinesepainterandarthistorian Dong Qichang (1555-1636). Dongwrote from a culturewith a long history ofdistinguishingprofessionalpainters,regardedasmerecraftsmen,fromamateurartists,manyofwhombelongedtotheclassicallyeducatedclassofwenren(“menofletters”)thattypicallysuppliedthestatewithcivilservants.

Professional court painting wascharacteristically detailed, colourful andhighly finished, whereas amateurs, seekingto distinguish themselves from the former,worked primarily in ink and cultivated aspontaneous,naïveaesthetic.Preferredliteratisubjectswerelandscapesandauspiciousplantssuch as bamboo, usually accompanied by apoeticinscription.Thepowerofbrushworktoexpressone’spersonality,moralcharacter,anderudition was privileged over its descriptivecapacity.Literatipaintingstypicallyexpresseda Daoist reverence for nature and yearningfor seclusion. Dong identified these stylisticstreamsastheNorthernandSouthernschoolsrespectively, in reference to divisions withinChanBuddhism.

Some understanding of Chinese literatipainting existed in Japan as early as the

Muromachi period (1336-1573); however,itwasnotbroadlyadoptedbylocalartistsuntil the mid 18th century. Woodblock-printed painting treatises and manualsandartworkswere imported fromChinaviaNagasaki,whichbecamea centre forChineseart.ManyartiststravelledtheretolearnfromexpatriateChineseartistssuchasYiFuzhou(Jp.:IFukyū,fl.firsthalfof18th cent.) and Shen Nanping (Jp.: ShinNanbin, 1682-1780). Others learnt fromChinesemonksoftheŌbakusect.

Literati painting underwent varioustransitions as it was assimilated intoJapaneseculture. Japan lackedascholarlyclass comparable to the Chinese wenrenanditsliteratipainterscamefromabroadrange of social backgrounds and madetheir living from painting and/or relatedactivities such as teaching. Furthermore,theseJapaneseartistsdidnotstrictlyfollowimported traditions. They were moreeclecticintheirchoiceofsubjectmatterandgenre; for example, colourfulpaintingsofbirdsandflowers(kachōzu),consideredthedomainofprofessionalpaintersbyChinesetheorists, were accommodatedwithin thenangarepertoire.

Japanese artists such as Yosa Buson(1716-1783) and Ike Taiga (1723-1776)incorporated elements of the nativist,decorative Rinpa school into theirinterpretationof literatipainting.Taiga inparticular is known for his exploitationof the decorative possibilities of brushstrokeswhich, inmanyofhis landscapes,are arranged into compelling rhythmictextures,givingaplayful,graphiccharacterthat is closer to that of nativist worksthan to the earthy tangibility and depthof Chinese literati painting. Elsewhere,Taiga eshewed the firm, dry brushworkprescribedbyChineseliteratimastersforawet,‘brushless’techniqueusedinJapanesedecorative painting (Stanley-Baker 1992:105-118).

Nanga underwent further transitionwith themodernisation of the art worldfromthe1880s.Artwasnowexpectedtoembodytheculturalidentityoftheyoungnation and edify its audience, a role forwhichnangawasdeemedunequal,beingaChineseimportconcernedmorewithself-expressionthangrandnarratives.In1882,

J

N E W l i t E r at i : F U K U da Ko d o J i N a N d E a r lY 2 0 t H C E N t U r Y N a N G a

RhiannonPaget LAndScApE AFTER Mi FEi(1914). HANGING SCROLL, INK ON SILK,

179.5 x 52.7 CM, GIFT OF MR DAVID FRANK AND MR KAzUKUNI

SUGIYAMA, CLARK CENTER FOR JApANESE ART & CULTURE

13TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

a lecture given by Ernest Fenollosa (1853-1908), a leadingfigure in the formation of anational style of painting, deridednanga forits rejectionofacademicaestheticprinciples.Thislecturebecametheprimaryreferenceforthose critical of nanga. Furthermore, nangahad little value as an export product (Satō2011:50,198).

The art education system reflected this newconsciousnessofwhatwaseconomicallyandculturallyprofitableandnangawasexcludedfrom the curricula of the Tokyo Institute ofFineArts (est. 1887), although itwas taughtat Kyoto Prefectural Painting School (1880).On the other hand, nanga painters such asTomiokaTessai (1837-1924)avoided thenewgovernmentsponsoredjuriedexhibitionssuchas Bunten and Naikoku Kaiga kyōshin kai(Domestic Painting Competitive Exhibition),which formed the centre of the Tokyo artworld,perhapsanticipatingbiasorfeelingthattheywereantitheticaltotheConfucianvaluesupon which literati painting was premised(Taki 1917: 40).Moreover, aside from skilfulbrushwork, literati painting demanded alevelofproficiencyintheChineseclassicsthattookyearstomaster;farlongerthancouldbecondensedintothefive-yearbachelordegreeofferedattheTokyoInstituteofFineArts.

Nonetheless,nanga foundaplacewithin themodern art world. Artists such as KomuroSuiun(1874-1945)endeavouredtogivenangaa discursive presence through organisationssuch as the Nihon Nangain (est. 1921),which held annual exhibitions modelledon the official salon, and journals such asNanga kanshō. Many artists trained in yōga(Western-style painting), including YorozuTetsugorō(1885-1927),andnihonga(Japaneseneotraditional painting), like YokoyamaTaikan (1868-1958), began appropriating thesubjectmatterandvisuallanguageofnanga.

Theapplicationofcolour,distortionofforms,andreductionofinscriptionsinpaintingsbyartists who trained as nanga painters, suchas Yano Kyōson (1890-1965), demonstrate areciprocalinterestindevelopmentsinyōgaandnihonga.Thediversityofartworksreproducedin theNihonNangain exhibition cataloguesdemonstratesaliberalattitudetowhatcouldbe exhibited as nanga.Nanga also benefitedfrom a renewed interest in Chinese culturestimulatedbyJapan’scolonialactivities.

On the fringes of this world was FukudaKodōjin (1865-1944). Born in Wakayama,Kodōjin studied painting with SuzukiHyakunen (1825-1891) in Kyoto beforemovingtoTokyointheearly1890swherehebecameanesteemedfollowerofthemodernist

haiku poet Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) andedited Chinese poetry forNippon magazine(Watase1960,Addiss2000:1-56).Hereturnedto Kyoto in 1901. Few works from before1910areextant,butthosefromthefollowingdecade show the emergence of a distinctiveindividualstyle.

In Landscape after Mi Fei (1914), Kodōjindeploys classical techniques and imageryof literati painting to dramatic effect. Theworkisnamedfor itsuseofheavy‘Mi-dots’,horizontal ovals made with the side of thebrushassociatedwith theChinesemasterMiFei(MiFu,1051–1107),whichKodōjinwouldhave encountered through painting manualsand other artists’ work. The atmosphericblurring found in paintings connected withMi Fei is reduced to loops of cloud throughwhich grotesque pinnacles thrust. Parallelridgesareexaggeratedtoenhancethegraphicvigourofthecomposition.Thesenseofchaoticenergy is offset by elements ofwhimsy, suchasthecuriouslyanthropomorphictreesintheforeground.Atiny,roundedfigure,acommonfeature of many of Kodōjin’s landscapes,meditates on a rocky outcrop. The inscribedpoemreads:‘Thecloudsriseandthemountainscreams and scolds; / The spring flows andtherocksresonate./Ihavebeenlivinginthisimmortal’scaveforyears,/NaturallyIcannothelpbuttoentertainareligiousfeeling.’(Trans.MasatoNishimura,Paget2010:30).

A similar approach is taken in Riverside,Wind,andMoon(c.1920).Thedrybrushwork,spindly trees, and abundance of spacebetweenforegroundandhorizonrefertothelandscapes of the Chinese painter Ni Zan(1301–1374). Where Ni Zan is sombre andaustere, however, Kodōjin is playful andenergetic. In the fore-andmid-ground, treesseem to writhe, while the sparseness of thecomposition is temperedby the inclusionofboats, huts, and small rocks executed in hisdistinctive brushwork of uneven thicknessandtremblingoutline.

In 1919, a Kyoto politician Ezaki Gon’ichiarranged an exhibition of his work and anillustrated catalogue, Kodōjin Poetry andPainting(Kodōjinshiga).In1927,OldTreesLateSpring (Koboku yoshun), a book reproducing35 paintings and calligraphic works byKodōjin,was published. The following yearsawtheestablishmentofa formalpatronagecircle, the ‘Kodōjin Society’ (Kodōjin-kai),whose members organised an exhibition atMitsukoshidepartmentstoreinTokyo.Alistquoting impressive prices survives, as wellas the committee prospectus, which notesthat Kodōjin created two paintings for the80th birthday of the former prime minister

GLOwinG pinES And SAiLbOATS (1928). HANGING SCROLL,

INK ON pApER, 136.5 x 34.0 CM, CLARK CENTER FOR

JApANESE ART & CULTURE

14 TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

Saionji Kinmochi (1849-1940). Despite theapparent success of these events, Kodōjinremainedalooffromformalpaintingsocieties,thusforgoingtheopportunitytobroadenhisaudience.

The Kodōjin Society included members ofJapan’s elite, including the Prime MinisterTanaka Giichi (1864–1929), the industrialistMachida Tokunosuke (1866–1952), and theSinologist Naitō Konan (1866–1934). In thepamphlet for the Mitsukoshi exhibition,organiser Kokubun Shutoku likens Kodōjinto a phoenix and a unicorn, and ‘a kami[god]beyondworldlydust’(Addiss2000:40),suggesting thatKodōjin himself representedsomething precious and rare for thesewealthy, powerfulmen, a ‘true literati’ froma nobler past. By eliding the reality of herhostile occupation of China, the ArcadianvisionofChinapresentedinnangasupportedJapan’s imperialist fantasy. Thismaybe onereasonwhyKodōjin and hiswork appealedso strongly to these leaders in politics andindustry(Tanaka1993:13-19;Chiba2003).

Paintings created by Kodōjin from aroundthe time of the Mitsukoshi exhibition andafter, contain brush techniques and pictorialeffects that are more characteristic of localthan Chinese artists. Plum Blossom Library(1926) makes extensive use of tarashikomi,probably derived from ‘broken’ or ‘splashedink’,atechniqueofChineseandJapaneseinkpaintingwhichwasafavouriteofthenativistRinpa school. Here, darker ink is paintedover still-wetwashes of light colour, causingtheedgesof the ink toblurgently,creatingalanguid atmosphere that complements thepoem’sthemeofsakeandblossom.Awreathofcloudpartitionsbackgroundfromforegroundwithoutaddingdepth;adevicealsofavouredamong nativist painters. The subject ‘PlumBlossom Library’ (baika shooku) was popularamongJapaneseliteratiartistslikeYamamotoBaiitsu (1783-1856), Tanomura Chikuden(1777-1835), and Hashimoto Kansetsu (1883-1945)whoallcreatedversionsofit.

Glowing Pines and Sailboats (1928) recallsthe ambiguous depiction of space foundinmatureworks byTaiga such as his seriesMount Fuji in the Twelve Months, itselfdrawingfromstandardisedscenesofJapan’sdecorative landscape painting tradition. Thelake isdepicted as if observed fromdirectlyabove,whilethetrees,mountains,buildings,and sailboats suggest a lateral view. Thehouses andboats on the far sideof the lakeshow no diminishment in size, giving thework a whimsical aspect. This handlingof perspective functions to animate thelandscape,envelopingthebeholder.

AbandoningMyOars in thePureValley (1930)isamasterfulexerciseinthelayeringofline,textureandcolour.Washesofinkandcolourarebrushedoverwithaprofusionofpepperdots, stipple marks, dry scrubbing, andwrigglinglines.AswithPlumBlossomLibrary,wet, light colours are ‘broken’ with dilutedink in the soft modelling of the mountains,providing a foil for the textured brushworkbelow. Landscape elements, compressedinto a single plane, are encoded in a seriesofundulatinglayersinterspersedwithcloudbands embellished with brown, ochre, andink,uncoilingplayfullyacrosstheimageinthemannerofChikuden.Theseservetogeneraterhythm and prevent the densely patternedstructure from becoming monotonous. Theoverallimpressionisofalandscapeinastateofrapidflux,teemingwithprimordialenergy.

AlthoughnangawouldnotsurvivetheSecondWorld War as a broad movement, its lastdecadeswere not characterised by the artisticexhaustion typically attributed to periods ofdecline.Instead,nangaofthisperiodwaseclecticand diverse, as the pictorial conventions andimagery of literati painting were reconceivedwithelementsofdesignfavouredbydecorativeJapanese-style painting and correspondingtechniques. The complex, visually excitingstructures, expressive patterns and shapes,and idiosyncratic brushwork of Kodōjin’slandscapes exemplify this tendency towardshybridity, and are compelling interpretationsofcanonicalChinesesources,theirdeploymentby 18th and 19th century Japanese, andcontemporaryrevivalofnativisttraditions.

Rhiannon paget is a phD student of the University of

Sydney and Tokyo University of the Arts. Her research

interests include Japanese woodblock prints and early

20th century painting.

rEFErENCESAddiss, Stephen, 2000. Old Taoist: The Life, Art, and Poetry of

kodojin (1865-1944), Columbia University press, New York.

Chiba Kei, 2003. ‘Nihon bijutsu shiso no teikokushugika —1910–

20 nendai no nanga saihyoka o meguru ikkosatsu’, Bigaku, Vol.

54, no. 1, pp. 56-68.

paget, Rhiannon, 2010, edited by Marks, Andreas. Luminosity in

monochrome: Japanese ink Painting and Calligraphy, Clark Center

for Japanese Art & Culture, Hanford.

Sato, Doshin, 2011, translated by Nara, Hiroshi. modern Japanese

Art and the meiji State: The Politics of Beauty, Getty Research

Institute, Los Angeles.

Stanley-Baker, Joan, 1992. The Transmission of Chinese idealist

Painting to Japan, Center for Japanese Studies, University of

Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Taki Seiichi, 1917. ‘Nanga shokan’, Chuo bijutsu Vol. 3, no. 6,

pp. 38-40.

Tanaka, Stefan, 1993. Japan’s Orient: Rendering Pasts into History,

University of California press, Berkeley.

Watase Ryoun, February 29, 1960. ‘Fukuda Seisho Sensei’,

kumano Shi, Vol. 8, pp. 1-6.

AbAndOninG MY OARS in THE puRE vALLEY (1930).

HANGING SCROLL, INK AND COLOURS ON pApER, 132.6 x 32.8 CM,

CLARK CENTER FOR JApANESE ART & CULTURE

15TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

n 9 February this year, a group ofdisaffected youths broke into the

NationalMuseumoftheMaldives,damagingsome pre-Islamic works from the collectionbeyondhopeofrepair.Suchintolerantattacksonreligiousimageslitterhumanhistoryandthisrecentdestructionofancientimageswasparticularlysadandpointless.

TheNationalMuseumoftheMaldivesislocatedonthetinyislandcapitalofMalé.Theimposingbuilding was constructed with Chinese aidmoney and opened in July 2010, replacing anearlier,smallerbuildingthatwasestablishedbythe first president of theMaldives,MohamedAmeen, in 1952. Located on one corner of anattractiveprecinctcalledtheSultan’sPark, themuseum joins the National Library, NationalArt Gallery and Sultan’s Mosque around theperimeterofthesamecityblock.

A catalogue, published to coincide with theopening of the new building, mentions theaspiration that improved exhibition spaceswill engender greater pride and knowledgeof Maldivian culture amongst islandersthemselves,aswellasprovidinganenrichingexperienceforforeignvisitors,mostofwhomare attracted to this tropical nation for morehedonisticpursuits-luxuryresorts,divingandsurfing.Itisalsohopedthatoverseasmuseumswillbeencouragedtolendtheirworks.

Theislandsarethoughttohavebeenoriginallysettled by people from Sri Lanka severalhundredyearsBCE.Similaritiesinlanguageandscript,inadditiontogeographicproximity,addcredencetothistheory.ProximitytoSriLanka,tothenortheastoftheMaldives,alsomakesitunsurprising that Buddhism flourished there,althoughtheislandsarerarely,ifever,includedinhistoriesofthespreadofBuddhism.Indeeditappearsthattheislandswerethemostextremesouth-westerly outpost of early historicalBuddhism.ReferencestotheislandsarefoundinthewritingsofPappusofAlexandriaattheendofthe4thcenturyandinthoseoftheChineseBuddhistpilgrim,FaXianaround412,duringhis twoyearsojourn innearbySriLanka.Thepopulation of theMaldiveswas subsequentlyconvertedtoIslambyvisitingtradersandthiswas officially adopted as the state religion in1153.(MohamedandTholal2010:15)TodayitisanexclusivelySunniIslamicnation.

The ground floor of the new museumshowcases early Maldivian society and

a collection of weapons. There are manysculptures,most ofwhich are Buddhist, butsomereflectHinduiconography.Iwasstruckby the many reliquary caskets, often in theshapeofastupa,manywithinscriptions.OneofthemostimpressiveoftheseearlyexhibitsisalargeandintricateBuddhafootprintcarvedfrom coral stone dated to the 8th century;similarexamplesofcarvedBuddhafootprintsare found in Sri Lanka and other SoutheastAsiancountries,thoughmostofthemareofalaterdate.Theupperfloorhousesacollectionoftradeceramics,principallyChinesewares;lacqueritemsproducedintheMaldives;manybeautifultextilesandaccoutrementsfromtheIslamic courts and an impressive collectionofQurans. Inaddition, there isa substantialcollectionof early copperplatemanuscripts,aswellasanaturalhistorysection.Avisittothemuseumiscertainlyrichlyrewarding.

O

S H U t t i N G t H E i r E Y E S o N H i S t o r Y: P r E - i S l a M i C H E r i t a G E a t t H E

N a t i o N a l M U S E U M o F t H E M a l d i V E S

AnnProctorNATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE MALDIVES, MALé. pHOTO: ANN pROCTOR

SiXFaCEdStElEWitHiNSCriPtioNS, C. 9TH CENTURY. CORAL STONE, 71 x44 x78CM, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE MALDIVES.

pHOTO: MICHAEL O’SHEA

16 TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

BUddHaHEad,6TH-7TH CENTURY. CORAL STONE, 43 x 40 x 51 CM.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE MALDIVES. pHOTO: MICHAEL O’SHEA

Amongst the pre-Islamic works are someBuddhist and Hindu bronze sculpturesincluding the image of a seated bronzeBuddha, 12 centimetres in height, foundwithinaclayjaronLaamuAtoll.TheBuddhais seated in lotus position with hands in agesture of meditation. The figure also hasa flaming ushnisha which, along with itssmooth robes and the sash over the leftshoulder, are features reminiscent of 9thcentury Anhuradhapura bronzes from SriLanka.ThefactthatmetalsarenotfoundontheMaldivesindicatesthattheBuddhaimagewasimportedandisfurtherverificationofthecloseconnectionsbetween theMaldivesandSriLanka.Bronze imagerywouldhavebeenonewayinwhichBuddhisticonographywastransmitted.However,carvingsincoralstone,Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic, are distinctlyMaldivianproductions.

Many of the Buddhist sculptures in theNationalMuseum collectionwere excavatedfrom the atolls of Laamu, Faafu and Thaa,where remains of Buddhist stupas andmonasteries can still be found. In addition,therearenumeroussculptures,mostlyrelatedto Vajrayana Buddhism, that have beenexcavated in Malé during the constructionboomofrecentyears.

While many sculptures show affinities withthe styles of Sri Lanka and Southern India,it was the Tantric works, less beautiful inthe conventional sense, but powerful and

idiosyncratic, that reallyfascinated me. Tantric orVajrayana Buddhism waspresentinSriLanka,howeveracouncilof1160suppressedall but Theravadan formsof Buddhist practicethere (Snelling 1990: 29).Coomaraswarmy noted thathefoundnoextantexamplesof Tantric Buddhist art in‘Ceylon’ (Coomaraswarmy1985:167). Tantric forms ofHinduandBuddhist art arefoundinIndonesiaandotherSoutheast Asian societiesalthough extant examplesare later than those foundin the Maldives. Moreoverthe Maldivian examplesseem to be unique in style.It isbelieved thatVajrayanaBuddhism was prevalentthereduringthe9thand10thcenturies (Mohamed andTholal2010:3).

Some Maldivian sculpture,principally architectural details, are fashionedfromlimestone,howeverthecoralstonemediaof many locally produced sculptures makesthemunusual,maybeevenunique,withintheBuddhistandHinduartworld.Coralstonewasreadily available and the islanders achieved ahigh degree of skill working this medium ascan be seen in the decoration around variousmosquesinMalé.H.C.PBellnotedinhissurveyof the islands:“theartofcarving instonehasachieved a high order of skill whether inintaglio or in bas relief” (Bell, 1988:86). TheSultan’sMosque,previouslymentioned,showsexquisitecarvedcoraldecoration.

Acloser lookat twoworks,oneTheravadanand one Vajrayana, illustrates the twodistinctly different styles of Buddhistsculpture in coral stone. The earlier piece, acoral stone Buddha head, is dated to sometimebetweenthe6thand7thcenturyandis43x40x51cm.DiscoveredonThodduIslandin1958,theheadwaspartofaseatedBuddhaimage excavated from within a stupa at amonasterysite tentativelydated to thesameperiod.Atthetimeofdiscovery,thisidealisedhead,withparallelsinthesculptureofIndiaandSriLanka,showedvestigesofpaint.

Unfortunately the sculpture was vandalisedsoon after its discovery, the headwas brokenfrom the body, damaging the earlobes inthe process, and the body was destroyed.Following this unfortunate incident, the headwas transported to Malé. A coating of lime

plasterwhichsmoothedout theratherporouscoralstone,providedasurfaceforsomeofthesculpture’s finely carved detail. The hairstylehas the incised curlsof theBuddhaand thereis evidence of an ushnisha and long earlobes.The eyes are large, open and almond shaped,thebrowsarchoverdeepeyesockets,thenoseisstraightandthefulllipsterminateindrilledcornersofthemouthhintingatasubduedsmile:inalltheidealfaceofameditatingBuddha.

An example of aTantricwork is a six facedcoral stele, dated to the 9th century, 60 x 40x33cm.Thestelewas found inMalé in the1960s. Similar to other Maldivian works,the piece is inscribed with Vajrayana textswritten in an early Maldivian Eveyla Akuruscript. Some other Tantric works, especiallythereliquarycaskets,arealsodecoratedwithvajras and other tantric symbols and text.Thefacesonthissteleareofwrathfulbeings,sporting wide upturnedmoustaches, lollingtongues and bulging eyes. The hairlines onthefaceshaveadistinctivedoublepeakandthe elongated earlobes are filled with largecirculardiscs.OtherdemonicheadsofsimilariconographyinthecollectionhaveVajrayanamantrasinscribedontheirlipsandfaces.

The recent vandalism of pre-Islamic worksfromtheMaldivesNationalMuseumcollectionisa tragedywithmany ramifications. Itwillaffecttheadministration’shopesforincreasedexhibitions and audiences in this newlyopenedbuilding.Historicallyonelamentstheloss of evidence of the spread of BuddhismandHinduism to these isolated islands thatoffers,thoughstillpoorlyresearched,awealthofearlyepigraphicevidence.Artistically,itisincrediblysadthatexamplesof theskillandin some instances the unique vision of theMaldivianforebearshavebeenlostforever.

My thanks to Mamduh Waheed, Cultural Minister

in the former Government of the Maldives, and to

Michael O’Shea for supplying some of the images for

this article (see www.maldivesculture.com).

rEFErENCEShttp://minivannews.com/society/mob-storms-national-museum-

destroys-buddhist-statues-a-significant-part-of-our-heritage-is-lost-

now-31813

Bell, H.C.p., 1883. The máldive islands: An account of the Physical

Features, History, inhabitants, Productions and Trade, Colombo.

Coomaraswarmy, A. F., 1985. History of indian and indonesian Art,

Dover publications.

Mohamed, N. & Tholal, A., 2010.The National museum of the

maldives.

Snelling, John, 1990. The elements of Buddhism, Element Books Ltd.

17TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

i N t H E P U B l i C d o M a i N : A T W E L F T H C E N T U R Y S H O K A N N O N B O S AT S U AT T H E N G V

WayneCrothers

hecollectionof JapaneseBuddhistartatthe National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)

spans124years,withthefirstworkenteringthe collection in 1887 and themost recent amagnificent12thcenturySho-KannonBosatsuacquired in 2011 to celebrate the 150thanniversaryoftheGallery.

Early forms of Buddhism arriving in Japanduringthe6thcenturyfromChinaandKoreawere practices of Mahayana Buddhism (alsoknown as the Greater Vehicle or NorthernBuddhism). They emphasised the concept ofuniversalsalvationviaelaborateritualsandtheworshipingofacomplexarrayofdeities thatincludesthehistoricalBuddhaandhisvariousincarnations,saintsknownasBosatsu,wisdomkingsMyōōandheavenlybeingsTembu.

With the spread ofMahayana Buddhism inJapanduringtheNaraandHeianperiods(710-1185)uniquesculpturalstylesofthesedeitiesdeveloped with characteristically JapanesefeaturesofwhichtheNGV’srecentlyacquiredShoKannonBosatsu isapreeminentexample.In particular, the celebrated sculptor Jōchō(died1057)establishedanewstyleofJapanesesculpture.Hisworkssuchasthe11thcenturyflyingApsaraofByodo-inTemplenearKyotoshowstrongconnectionsinfacialexpression,apparel, carving style, period of executionandhistoricalprovenancetotheNGVKannon.Bodhisattvas(BosatsuinJapanese)arerankedintheBuddhistpantheonjustbelowaBuddhaand fulfil a pivotal role in the Mahayanatradition, which emphasises the possibilityof all beings attaining Buddhahood. Bosatsuareindividualsfilledwithlivingcompassionwho,ratherthanenternirvanaafterattainingenlightenment choose to remain in thelife-death cycle to guide and redeem otherunenlightenedlivingsouls.

The most popular Bodhisattva in Japan isKannon (skt:Avalokiteśvara)whoportrays agreatbeingofmercyandcompassion.Kannonliterally means “watchful listening,” and isoften translated as “the onewho sees/hearsall”.Originallydepictedasmale,Kannonwaslater modelled as an androgynous figure,merging both female and male physicalcharacteristics.

The NGV’s recently acquired Kannon figurestands serene and dignified on a pedestalthat represents a blossoming lotus flower

andissurroundedbyahaloofswirlinglotuskarukusa (floral motif). In Buddhism, thelotus represents the true nature of humans,rising through the muddy waters of day-to-day mortality to finally blossom into thebeauty and clarity of enlightenment.At thetop of the halo is a disc inscribed with theSanskrit character ‘Sa’ that refers to saintlyandvirtuousqualities.ShoKannonBosatsu isregardedas themost sacred formofKannonand is themodel for other formsofKannon.He is also one of the six manifestations ofKannon, each protecting people in one ofthe six realms ofKarmic rebirth (the realmsof hells, demons, hungry ghosts, animals,humans and heavenly beings). Sho KannonBosatsu is recognised as bringing salvationto those in the realms of hells or in someChinese traditions, topeople in the realmofthehungryghosts.

IncontrasttoimagesoftheBuddha(Nyorai),nearlyalwaysinsimplemonk’srobeswithoutornamentation, representations of Bosatsuaregenerallyornate, oftendepictedwearingjewelleryandprincelyattire.TheNGV’sShoKannonBosatsu followsthisconventionalisedstyle,withtheupperhalfofthetorsocladinajōhaku,adecorativescarfwornbyBuddhistdeities and guardian figures, and the lowertorsoinanancientskirtcalledakunormo.Thefigurehasaceremonialtopknotatthecrownofthehead.Belowthisisanornamentalband,tenkandai, in gold gilding that consists of arow of lotus petals topped by a decorativefive leafmotif. This combination alongwiththefigure’stallandwellbalancedproportion,back slightly bent forward, and roundedstomach are all characteristic aesthetics ofInsei era (1087-1192) sculpture and the lateryearsoftheHeianperiod.

The top knot, crown, well proportionedface, serene eyes, chiselled nose and softlypouting mouth display similarities to early11th and 12th century models of theAmidaNyōraistatueinJizou-intempleinKyoto,theKannonBosatsustatueintheKonjiki-douhallofChūson-ji temple in Iwate prefecture andtheKannon Bosatsu of the Joken-ji temple inShigaprefecture.

Thefigureismadewiththewarihagisplit-and-jointechnique.Itiscarvedfromasinglepieceofwoodsplitinhalfverticallyfromtheprofileview,eachpiecehollowedoutfromthecentre,withthefrontandbackhalvesfinallyrejoined.

Thesameprocedureisfollowedwhencarvingthehead,which is joined to thebodyat thethird crease on the neck. This hollowingprocedure leaves the thickness of the woodapproximately 15mmandmakes the overallsculpture deceptively light in weight. Mostimportantly, it also reduces the likelihoodofthewoodcrackingwithageing,whichisariskwith solidwooden sculptures. The figure isthoughttohavebeenoriginallyfinishedwithshippaku(coatinginfinegoldleaf).Todayonlytracesofthegoldleafremainandthesurfaceofthesculptureismostlyexposedtimber.

This historically significant Buddhist workwillbefeaturedattheentrancetotheNGV’snewgalleryofJapaneseartthatisduetoopeninthespringof2012.

I would like to thank Dr. Shiro Ito, director ofWakayamaPrefecturalMuseum;formeragentfortheNationalAgencyforCulturalAffairsandDr.UchidaKeiichi, professor, Showa Women’s University fordiscussionsandreportsthatestablishedsomeofthedetailsoutlinedinthisarticle.

Wayne Crothers is Curator, Asian Art at the National

Gallery of Victoria.

T

bOdHiSATTvA(SHO-KANNON BOSATSU), HEIAN pERIOD 12TH

CENTURY, JApAN, LACQUER, GILT ON CYpRESS (HiNOki), CRYSTAL,

172.0 x 60.0 x 50.0 CM (OVERALL), NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA,

MELBOURNE, pURCHASED WITH FUNDS DONATED BY ALLAN MYERS

AO AND MARIA MYERS AO, 2011

18 TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

The article below is based on apresentationmadeattheseminar‘Threads:Contemporary textiles& the social fabric’heldjointlybyTAASAandtheQueenslandGallery of Modern Art (GoMA) on 1October,2011.Theseminaraccompaniedan exhibition of contemporary Asianhandcraftedtextiles.

abricofLifebeganasatextileconservationworkshop in 1995. After many years

as a textile conservator where my workwas (and still is) mainly related to antiquetextiles frommuseums,galleriesandprivatecollectors, I was keen to workmore closelywith living artisans. I began to learn aboutdifferentorganisationsthroughouttheworldwhere artisans are still producing textiles ofexquisitequalitythatexpresstheircultureandtraditionswhile also adapting and changingtomeetnewchallengesandinfluences.

Indiaisthehomeofthebestandworstqualitytextiles in the world. There are hundredsof organisations committed to fair tradeprinciplesworkingwithartisans throughoutIndia. Some are government run, some arenot-for-profitbutprivatelyrunandsomeareprofit-makingventures.Theircommonthreadis that they all respect and nurture culturaltraditions and in addition work to provideeconomic stability, education and healthservices.

Awarenessofthefairtradeconceptisslowlygrowing,butitisstilldifficultinmanycasestoreallyknowthesourceofaproductofferedforsaleinAustraliaandthecircumstancesinwhichithasbeenmade.

Here I discuss threemodels. The first, KalaRaksha,isagrassrootssocialenterprisewitha mission to preserve the traditional craftsof Kutch. Comprising artisans, communitymembers and experts in the fields of art,design, rural management and museums,KalaRakshaworkswitharounda thousandartisans from seven different communities.They produce exquisite hand embroideredandpatchworkedgarments,accessories,andhome furnishings. Kala Raksha maintains aresearchcollectionoftraditionaltextilesfromcommunitiesinthisareatouseasareferencetool for artisans when traditional skills ordesignshavebeenlost.

InNovember2005KalaRakshastartedKalaRakshaVidhyalaya,thefirstdesignschoolfortraditional artisans.Generally, these artisansare not familiarwith designs that appeal toa wider audience. Here they learn to createworks that will be appreciated in new anddistantmarkets.Confidence increases as theunique ideas of each artisan designer arevalued,andstudentsand teachers cansharetheirexperiencesanddevelopnewideas.

Hariyaben Bhanani who created the gardenwall hanging in the Threads exhibition inBrisbane is one of the original Kala Raksha

Trustees.Shehasastorysimilartomanyheardfrom artisans in marginalised communities.Born in Pakistan, her family came to Indiawhen she was eight years old and for thenextsevenyearstheylivedinarefugeecampin Rajasthan. She had no formal schoolingbut she learned all kinds of stitching fromher mother- Suf and Kharek embroidery,appliqué, and sewing. Her mother sold herownworkfornexttonothingtotourguidesandtouristsintimesofhardship.Hariyaben sums up the idea of culturalpreservation and identity. She explains

F

t H r E a d S t H a t l i N K W o r l d S

MaryJose

EMBroidErEr,BHIRIDIARA, KUTCH REGION OF GUJARAT, INDIA. pHOTO: MARY JOSE

19TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

that to her community, artistry is identityand it is important for them tokeep theSufidentity. “Whenwe go out it is how peopleknow us. Today’s girls know Suf techniquebut not traditional motifs. We should teachthem so they know.” Oldworkwasn’t fine,she observes, but can become exemplarsof the tradition, offering their many motifsandcoloursas inspiration.Artisansarenowmakingnewproducts,evenfordowries.“Ourartcan’tdie”,shesays.“Weneeditforhomeandhousehold”.

The Kala Raksha organisation has alsotaken a step that I am sure will continueto be replicated more widely. They arecollaborating with Equal Craft, a sociallyconsciousinternetmarketplacethatprovidescustomers world-wide with handweaves ofthe highest quality, to offer artisans a trulyglobalmarket.E-commercemakesitpossiblefor rural artisans to connect directly withlong distance markets and thus puts themon an equal footing with, for example, anembroidererinAdelaidesellingherworkoneBay or Etsy. Equalcraft.com also facilitatessocial networking for artisan designerswithout literacy or technological skills oropportunities.

AnothergroupalsobasedinKutchisfollowinga similar path. The women of Qasab KutchMahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS) have beenworkingsince1989toimprovetheirsituationthroughworkplaceinitiativesandcommunityhealthimprovementstrategies.Theirworkispartofaruraldevelopmentprojectdesignedto connect distinct tribal communities. It isoneofthemostsuccessfulco-operativesinthearea,withover8000members,1800ofwhomareembroiderers.

Tomaintaintraditionsandpreservethedignityoftraditionalskills,itisnecessaryforartisanstomaketheirworkcommerciallyviable.Theyusethestitchesandtraditionaldesigns,suchas those seen in the Rabari dowry bags ondisplayintheThreadsexhibition,tocreatenewproductswithcommercialpotentialincludingbags, cushions and quilts. The desire forquality and the resulting financial rewardhaspromoted refinement in the skills of theembroiderersandtherevivaloflostskills.

KMVSmembersfromthetribesoftheKutchcollaborate to set standards of qualitywhilemaintainingtheiruniquetraditions.Toensureequity and to build confidence, decisionsregarding costing, design and organisationare subject to a vote. The overarchingmission ofKMVS is the total empowermentof rural women, fostering a sustainablesocio-economic transformation in this verydisadvantagedregion.

A third, and differentmodel of support butwith the same goals and outcomes for theartisans, is found in Sasha, a group basedin West Bengal operating for the last 35years. Sasha is a not-for-profit marketingorganisation representing a network of over150 producer groups involving about 7000artisans and marginal producers – 80% ofthemwomen.Sashadealswithawidecross-section of handcrafted products includingtextiles,gourmetspicesandteasandbodycareproducts.Sashahasworkedtodevelopcraftcommunitiessothattheirskillsandcreativityfind expression and recognition. In additiontheSasha teamprovideshelp inmanyareasincluding health, education, organisationand financial management, environmentalmanagement and health and safety throughcamps,meetings&workshops.

Oneof themanyproblemsfacedbyartisansis that while they have significant skillsthey don’t have the money to purchase thematerials they need tomake their products.WhenFabric of Life orders through Sasha allof thematerialsarepaidforupfrontsothatthe artisan is not out of pocket. A secondpaymentismadewhentheworkiscompletedand ready to be shipped. This is one of theprinciples of fair trade. For a business likeFabric of Life, Sasha is a perfect partner: itfacilitatesaccesstoarangeofproductsfromone central organisationwhile providing anoutlet for artisans to a broad market fromtheiroftenremotelocations.

ThefinalgroupIwanttoincludeisaprivatelyowned business, Kashmir Loom Company.KashmirLoomisacompanycreatedbyJennyHousegoandherKashmiripartners,brothers

Hamid,Zahid,andAsafAli,andtheirfamilyin Srinagar, Kashmir. Jenny is an Englishtextilehistorian,atonetimeamemberoftheTextileDepartmentattheVictoriaandAlbertMuseum in London. She has lived in Delhiforthepast20years,andspendsmuchofhertime inKashmir,workingwithher businesspartnersandtheirtalentedteamofcraftsmen.

The company develops designs andweavesin its ownworkshops inKashmir. Its aim isto work towards the revival of traditionalKashmir shawl weaving, kani or tapestrywoven shawls. These are made with finepashmina yarn that can only be spun byhand. Such shawls are extremely expensive;ittakestwoweaversoverayeartocompleteoneshawl,eachdetailpainstakinglyworkedby handwith this extraordinarily fine yarn.Theyalsoproducehandembroideredshawls.The sheer artistry that craftsmen bring totheirworkand their ability to adapt tonewideas while remaining true to their ancienttraditions,whetherinweavingorembroidery,isastounding.

In discussions with Asaf Ali I have gaineda sense that he feels that Kashmir needs allthehelp it canget toprotect andmaintain itscrafts and its craftspeople.Lifegoeson in theregioninspiteofterribleunrestandeconomicdepression. In this insecure environment, it isveryencouragingtoseeyoungmenincreasinglycomingintothebusiness.Thisisbecausemastercraftsmen are still highly respected, and evennow,agoodlivelihoodcanbemade.

Kashmir Loom’s goal of keeping thetraditionsalivethroughfindingnewmarketsand encouraging innovation in its productsis what I find so inspiring. Employingaround200workers,KashmirLoom’sannualturnoverhasgrown to 5.5million rupeesor1.5millionUSdollars.

The great pleasure I gain from my work isbeingpartofaprocess that tells thestoryoftheartisan.Therearemanywayswecangrowto understand and respect other culturesand the artistry that is an important part ofthatprocess. Ifwe can love aquilt thatwasmade in a remote Indianvillage from fabricprintedinthevillagenextdoorthenperhapswecanlearnalittleaboutthislifeandfeelaconnectiontotheartistthroughtheseties.Theartists are giving us the gift of their culturewhilealsoforgingafutureforthemselves.Allofourlivesarericherforthis.

Mary Jose is Director of Adelaide based Fabric of Life,

providing textile conservation services to museums

and collectors as well as selling handmade textiles

from around the world.

driSMailMoHaMMadKHatriMaKiNGNatUraldYEFroM

PoMEGraNatEForBloCKPriNtiNG, AJRAKHpUR WORKSHOpS,

KUTCH REGION OF GUJARAT, INDIA. pHOTO: MARY JOSE

20 TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

a N i d E N t i t Y r E - F o r G E d i N M i l d S t E E l : t H E W o r K o F K E N S U K E t o d o

OliviaMeehan

orjustoveradecade,Japanese-bornartistKensuke Todo (b.1975) has based his

practice in Australia’s national capital. ThedistancefromhishomelandaffordsTodotheluxuryofquietcontemplationoftheculturaldifferences, and obvious contradictions,betweenthetwocountries.Atthesametimethe similarity between the Canberra andKyotonaturallandscapesisinescapable,bothcitiescradledbyhillsandmountains.

Todo’s upbringing in Kyoto was far fromordinary. His father a designer and hismother a concert pianist and teacher, theyearly introduced Todo to the world ofEuropean thought and aesthetics. He wasencouraged not to conform to the demandsofJapanesesociety,buttoexploreanalternatepath. Todo’s home environment fosteredthe pursuit of individual achievement andcreativity, qualities that somemight suggestbuck Japanese tradition. Initially Todo hadenrolled to study architecture at university.Thenhe encountered the sculpturalworkofIsamuNoguchi, and subsequentlymade thedecision to focus on sculpture and object-basedartinhisBachelorofArts(VisualArt)degreeatKyotoSeikaUniversity.

Noguchi remains an inspiration to Todo, asdo American minimalist sculptor RichardSerra and British sculptorAntony Gormley.Perhaps most significantly, though, Todo’sdevelopment as an artist has been informedby the stimulus which living aboard hasprovided for hiswork. From afar he is ableto consider the contemporary cultural spaceof Japan, tobe critical, and toask the toughquestions.DuringhisfirststayinAustraliaonastudentexchangein1999,hebecamemoreawareoftherarecircumstancesofhisculturalupbringinginJapan.

In2002hereturnedtoundertakeaMasterofArts(VisualArt)attheCanberraSchoolofArt,ANU, and began to investigate his culturalheritage through the medium of mild steel.Contemplating thenotionofself-negation toself-acceptanceandtherelationshipbetweenhuman emotions and ‘constructed’ spaces,Todo’sinterrogationoftheseideasresultedinthe sculptureworkspresented in twogroupshows Oxygen: O2 and later Horizons. Thehumancomponentintheworkisundeniable,asthelargesteelobjectsarehollowcastfromtheartist’sbody.Insubsequentserieshehasexplored the connections and increasingly

obvious disconnections between JapaneseandWesternarchitecturalforms.

‘Japan-ness’isatermcoinedbytheJapanesearchitect Arata Isozaki who discusses the‘problematicof theexternalgaze’ in relationto Japan ‘from the edge of the lappingocean’ (Isozaki 2011:3). Todo admits it is aproblematichefaces.ObservingJapanfromadistance,heexperiencesthissenseof ‘Japan-ness’:yethealsoviewsJapanthroughhisownmemories and experience. The manifestoswhich accompany his solo exhibitionsdemonstrate an ability to communicatethis layered, complex experience, aswell asarticulating the depth of his intentions andobjectivesasanartist.

Inhis solo exhibitionGradient (2008),Todo’sinterestinthedifferencebetweenJapaneseandwestern space comes to the fore. Theworksreveal anunderstandingof theprinciples ofJapanese space, drawn on a horizontal axis,and the western preoccupation with thevertical. Todo has constructed impressivefreestanding staircases that lead nowhere,andescalatorsthatdoubleupandcrossovereach other. Thesepassageways are renderedinsteelwitharadiantblackfinish.Theworkpresents a series of blocked corridors andaisles which are out of context and void ofhumanpresence.Theobjectsarereminiscentof the many staircases found in high-riseapartment blocks, and evoke the upwardsand downwards motion of the escalatorsfoundindepartmentstoresandtrainstations

throughout Japan. In this series we find apowerful commentary on the unfulfilledclimbingandspirallingnowassociatedwitheverydaylife.

TimeDistanceSpeed (2010) took its inspirationfrom a trip to Japan in which Todo wasstruck by the changes in the environmentimmediatelysurroundinghishometown.Newexpressways now intersected the cityscape,producing a heightened need to interrogatethis sense of interruption and disturbance.OnhisreturntoAustraliahebeganworkonaseriesofsteelexpresswaysinvarioussections;some with bridges, some with ramps. Tododiscontinues each section of road at the verymomentwhenasenseofmomentumhasbeengained. The horizontal lines draw attentionto his understanding of the sacred axis andits ongoingpresence in Japanesedesign. Thescaleoftheworksisintriguing:Tododoesnotreplicatetheoverbearingdimensionsofarealexpressway, insteadhehascreatedsculpturalworks that comfortably fitwithin an interiorspace.Thisseriesistheperfectrepresentationof Todo’s ability to generate imaginedand dynamic worlds from an otherwiseindestructibleandcoldmaterial.

AnyoneenteringTodo’sstudiospaceencountersa sense of theatre which only a Japaneseunderstandingofdisplay (kazari) canprovide.On one side against the luminescent whitewalls,thesleekblacksteelformsdominatethescene; on the other are the robust workshoptoolsandmaterialsofhisart,andinthecentre

F

KENSUKEtodoiNtHEStUdio, 2010. pHOTO: KENSUKE TODO

21TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2 21

is a poignantly placedmakeshift table, on itssurface a blue and white floral table-cloth.Evidenceoftheartistatworkisfoundaroundthestudio;overallsareneatlyplacedonthebackofa1950’schromekitchenchair,whileapairofsteel-capbootsatthefootofthechaircompletetheuniform.Aplastermould liesonthe largeworktable and beside it a metal sheet in theearlystagesoftransformation.

Located in Canberra’s light industrial estateof Mitchell, Kensuke Todo’s studio is partof a complex of purpose-built studios thatbelong to the artist-run initiative calledANCA (AustralianNationalCapitalArtists).Hereacommunityofartistscreateanintenseenvironment of artistic expression. Todo’sworld within this world is completelyabsorbing. Working drawings (in charcoal)are pinned to the walls near the completedsculptural piece, and indicate the variousstages of process. A spectacular view ofEucalyptus tree-tops can be seen from thehighwindows;naturallightandasoftbreezedrift down to the floor of the studio wherelargerworksrestsidebyside.Animpromptuexhibition from past shows combined withtheevidenceofanewseriesindevelopment,decoratethespace.

Todo approaches his practice systematically.Certainly theworks produced over the pastfiveyearsdemonstrateanincreasedprecisionand a unique understanding of thematerialheworkswith.During the conceptual stageofanewseriesTodowillmakemanydesigns;thesecomprisemostlyofdrawingsincharcoaland lead. He then proceeds to make plastermodelstoscaleandfromtherebeginstowork

inmildsteel,thematerialpropertiesofwhichare perfect for Todo’s creations. The steel isdelicatelybeatenintoshape(byhand)andthenbrushedandsmoothedintosleek,glossy,cleanperfection.Todoistheconsummatecraftsman,slowly and carefully coaxing a large sheet ofmetalintothreedimensionalform.

Visiting the studio allows a privilegedinsight into the artist’s working methodsand technique, but at the same time thereremains something appropriately sacred andmysterious about the process. When IsamuNoguchi first approached Brancusi aboutan apprenticeship in his workshop in Paris,Brancusi said he was of the belief that theartistshouldworkalone,declaring:“Anartistshouldalwaysdohisownchores…asculptor’stoil is slow and solitary.” (Duus 2004:114).Eventually Noguchi did manage to work inBrancusi’s studio: itproved that there canbeameetingpointbetweenartistandcraftsman.

Todo’s most recent project focuses on atraditional Japanese object familiar to most –the futon mattress. Admittedly Todo did notgrowupsleepingona futonmattress, thoughhevividlyrecallshelpinghisgrandmotherfoldup her futon, neatly placing it in a cupboarduntil evening when the ritual was reversed.In Japan, strictly during daylight hours only,futons may be seen hanging out to air overconcrete balconies. That these rather heavyobjects are moved daily indicates the routinetransformation of traditional Japanese interiorspacewhichthrivesonthemultipurposeroom.Once again Todo inadvertently intersects thetangiblewith the intangible; he opts to createsculptural works that resemble something

familiarandeverydaybutunfailinglysuggestamorecomplexreading.Inthisseries,theeffectofthemildsteeliscompelling.Theshinyblackobjectsofartappearsocoldanduninviting,intotalcontrastwiththefunctionoftheirreal-lifemodelswhicharethesoft,warmsitesofsleepand dreams. Perhaps it is best to reserve fullinterpretationuntilthecompletionoftheseries.

Kensuke Todo’s artistic practice is unique.Herewefindasculptorwhoseworkdemandsa tough materiality, but whose imaginationdrawsonbothapowerfulbirth-cultureandahighlystimulatingadoptedenvironment:hisisanidentityre-forgedinmildsteel.

Dr Olivia Meehan is Assistant Curator in Asian Art at

the National Gallery of Australia.

rEFErENCES Roelants, Altair. 2011. ‘Experiences of Space’ in Australian Art

Review, November 22, 2011.

Isozaki, Arata. 2011. Japan-ness in Architecture, trans. From

Japanese by Sabu kohso, MIT press, Cambridge Mass.

Haynes, peter. 2010. Time, distance, speed, exhibition catalogue,

King Street Gallery, Sydney.

Todo, Kensuke. 2008. Gradient, exhibition catalogue, King Street

Gallery, Sydney.

Japan Links, 2006. Exhibition catalogue, Australian National

University, Canberra.

Duus, Masayo. 2004. The Life of isamu Noguchi: Journey without

Borders, trans. from the Japanese by peter Duus, princeton

University press, princeton.

Horizons: the Australian National University School of Art graduate

Program in Visual Arts, 2004. Exhibition catalogue, ANU, National

Institute of the Arts, School of Art, Canberra.

Oxygen: O2: the School of Art graduate season, 2002, exhibition

catalogue, ANU, National Institute of the Arts, School of Art, Canberra.

Torres, Ana Maria. 2000. isamu Noguchi: A Study of Space, The

Monacelli press, New York.

HAnGinG FuTOn, KENSUKE TODO, 2011. MILD STEEL,17.5 x 29.6 x 6.4 CM. pHOTOGRApH: MICHAEL BRADFIELD

indEFiniTE, KENSUKE TODO, 2008, MILD STEEL,106.6 x 79 x 54 CM.

pHOTOGRApH: DAVID pATERSON

22 TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

S U d J o J o N o : P r i V a t E F a C E a N d P U B l i C P E r S o N a

MattCox

odate,thehistoryofIndonesianmodernart has been largely recounted within

a model of anthropocentrism in whichthe biographical details of artists’ livesare invoked as representative of nationalsuccesses.Frequentlythebiographicaldetailsoftheartists’lives,etchedretrospectively,donotmatchwith the narrative content of theworksof artproducedby themat the time.Kraussveryconvincinglyarguesagainstarthistorians’ insistence on using biographicaldata to explain artists’ production (Krauss1988,23-40).

Asimilarcriticismofovertlyanthropologicaland ethnographical approaches to arthistory isalsocurrentlygainingcurrency indiscoursesofcontemporarySoutheastAsianart. Some critics argue that the expectationthat artists are representative of national orregional cultures oversimplifies the formaldevelopments of art history, ignores thematerialityoftheartworkandisunrealistic(Kee 2011: 379-380). More than elsewherethisoccursinarthistoricalstudiesof“other”cultures where there exists the very realpotential of misinterpretation and misuse(Pinney2003).

In the Indonesian case, artists’ lives,when closely examined, do not alwayscorrelate with the public perception, eithercontemporaneouslyorhistorically.Similarly,their self-portraits do not necessarilycorrespond with their public image. Thereexistsacompromiseoranegotiationbetweenpersonalandpublicface.ThelifeandworkofSudjojonoarecaseinpoint.

Sindudarsono Sudjojono shot to the fore ofthe Indonesian art scene in the mid 1930’swiththeformationofthePersatuanAhliAhliGambarIndonesiaorPERSAGI,theAssociationofIndonesianArtists.Hiscareerwasforgedby a stream of powerful paintings thatinvoked a growing national consciousnessenraged by social injustice. The publicationof his seminal text on Indonesian art, SeniLoekis,KeseniandanSeniman(Sudjojono1946)cemented his position in Indonesian arthistory. His ties with the communist partyand President Sukarno further enhancedhis reputation as both painter and politicalactivist.

Since then, Sudjojono has received muchacclaim within Indonesia and abroad as a

pioneer of a socially conscious art with anationalistagenda,hehasevenbeentoutedasthe‘FatherofIndonesianModernArt’.Theseclaims have been integral to the consistentpresentationofSudjojonoaspainterpoliticalagitator.Butbeyondtheoccasionalthematicexhibitioncatalogueorgovernmentendorsedarthistorytexttherehasremainedanabsenceof any serious study of the painter’s life orhiswork.

Two relatively recent publications havebegunthe taskofuntyingthestringswhichbind Sudjojono’s art to a life enveloped bypolitical turmoil and nationalist stirrings.Told in a familiar and uncomplicated styleby Sudjojono’s first wife Mia Bustam,Sudjojono dan Aku (Sudjojono and I) offerspersonalinsight(Bustam2006).RepletewithmemoriesofalifewithSudjojono,Bustam’saccount reveals details of Sudjojono’s mostintimate anddifficult challenges in and outof thestudio.Thesecondbook,S.SudjojonoVisible Soul, authoredby theDirector of theMuseum Universitas Pelita Harapan andart auctioneerAmir Sidharta, draws deeplyon interviews and information provided bySudjojono’ssecondwifeRosePadangWangiandtheirchildren(Sidharta2006).

Through these publications, the events ofSudjojono’s life unfold into two distinctchronologiesimbeddedinhistwomarriages.Although written about the one life, they

presentverydifferentaccounts informedbypersonal encounter and remembrance thatplacethematacrossingbetweenmonograph,biographyandmemoir.Freefromthetracesof cumbersome post-colonial efforts tomythologise Sudjojono as a revolutionaryhero, they offer what might be describedas alternative narratives, stories that rejectthe prescribed histories of Indonesianpainting and instead focus on individualinterpretation. Both books shy away fromgrand narratives in favour of personalrecollectionsthattelluswhatpaintingmeantfor Sudjojono. In particular, they help usunderstand why he painted the ordinaryratherthanthespectacular.

We learn that sometime in April 1949, inthe last days of Indonesia’s independencestruggle against the Dutch, Sudjojono,Bustamandtheirchildrenwereforcedtofleefrom their home near Jogjakarta. Many ofSudjojono’s paintings were left behind anddestroyed. Bustam tells us that at that timeSudjojono felt that losing his paintingswaslike losing his Jiwo Katon, the visualisationof his soul (Bustam 2006: 154). Shortlyafter, in the mid 1950’s, Sudjojono began arelationshipwithRosalina“Rose”WilhelminPoppeckwhowastobecomehissecondwife.

In1958Sudjojonoresignedfromhispositionsin the Communist Party and LembagaKebudyan Rakyat (The Peoples’ Cultural

T

SUdJoJoNo,PHOTOGRApH TAKEN WITH SELF pORTRAIT, MID 1930’S, FROM S. SUDJOJONO ViSiBLe SOUL BY AMIR SIDHARTA

23TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

League), and, encouraged by Rose PadangWangi,focusedonhisartisticcareer.

The later half of his life spent with Rose isrepresented in the second book by historypainting,landscape,stilllifeandintrospectiveportraitsofher,hischildrenandhimself.

If we accept that portraiture operates on asimilar level tobiography in its capacitynotonlytorevealbutalsotoconstructanarrativeoftheself,thenwecanmakesomecomparisonsbetweenSudjojono’snarrationofhisownlifethroughpaintingandthatexpressedbythesetwomorerecentbiographies.Furthermoreweareabletoinvestigatetowhatdegreehisself-portraitsmatchwiththepublicperceptionofhiscareer.

Looking at the photograph of Sudjojonostandingalongsidehisself-portraitthereisanuncannysensethatheispointingtohispaintedselfinagestureofaffirmation:“Yes,thisisme!”.Madeinthemid1930’sattheverybeginningsofhisartisticcareerSudjojonoisquiteclearlyfashioning himself asModernArtist.We seeayoungmanengaging inadiscourseofself-representation,notasanationalistorevenanIndonesianbutasapainter.

Inhisself-portraitof1959Sudjojonoseemsalittlelessconfident.Aghostlypresencefloatsover a heavily inscribed surface. His body,unsureofitself,ispiecedtogetherbywrittennarrative.Theoutlineofhisfaceremainsyethis signaturewavers in the topcorner likearuffled flag not intent on brandishing itself.By 1969webegin to a see some consistencyinSudjojono’simaginingofhimself.Hisfaceneverdepictedinprofileorthreequarterview,Sudjojono’s self-image always stares back athimdirectly.Theseportraitsexhibitearly20thcentury painters’ interest in psycho-analysisand introspection. Equally they reveal the

painter’s tendency to generate his ownnarrative in the simultaneous use of paintandtext.Sudjojonoiswritinghislifeinpaint,articulating a complex narrative of personalchallengesthatconteststhereductiverhetoricofculturalandnationalistrationales.

By 1980, in his self -portrait in crayon,Sudjojono’s memories seem to overwhelmhim, obscuring his vision of himself. Thenarration of his life is privileged above thepresence of the man. Just five years beforehisdeath,wefindSudjojonoinamomentofreflectivecontemplation.

From these self-portraits, Sudjojono isrevealedasamanintentonpresentingavisiblesoul less focused on the political and moreabsorbed in thechallengeofgivingmeaningto his own existence through painting. Likethebiographies,theyexpressamorenuancedunderstanding of his life as an artist, oneenveloped inpersonal formation rather thanonereduced tohispublicpersona.Howeverunlikethebiographieswrittenretrospectively,in each self-portrait we find a momentaryact of self-constitution. There is evidence ofa negotiation between the public image ofhimself and his own capacity to rememberand reproduce himself. Sudjojono’s selfportraits then can be said to confirm that inpaintingtheself,theselfisconstituted.

Matt Cox is Study Room Coordinator at the Art Gallery

of New South Wales, TAASA committee member and

a phD Candidate at the University of Sydney where

he is completing research on 20th century portraiture

in Indonesia.

The author and TAASA would like to thank the

S.Sudjojono Centre in Jakarta for use of images in this

article.

rEFErENCES Bustam, Mia. 2006. Sudjojono dan Aku, pustaka utan Kayu,

Jakarta.

Kee, Joan. 2011. “Introduction Contemporary Southeast Asian Art.

The Right Kind of Trouble”, Third Text 25, (4), pp 371-381.

Krauss, R., E. 1988. “In the Name of picasso”, The Originality of

the Avant-Garde and Other modernist myths, MIT press.

pinney, Christopher. 2003. Photography’s Other Histories, Duke

University press.

Sidharta, A. 2006. S.Sudjojono Visible Soul. Jakarta, Museum S.

Sudjojono.

Sudjojono, S.1946. Seni Loekis, kesenian dan Seniman, Jogjakarta.

SELF pORTRAiT, OIL ON CANVAS, 1959, 71 x 56 CM

FROM S.SUDJOJONO ViSiBLe SOUL BY AMIR SIDHARTA

SELF pORTRAiT, CRAYON, 1980, 63 x 48 CM

FROM S.SUDJOJONO ViSiBLe SOUL BY AMIR SIDHARTA

SELF pORTRAiT, OIL ON CANVAS, 1969, 63 x 54 CM FROM

S.SUDJOJONO ViSiBLe SOUL BY AMIR SIDHARTA

24 TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

To register your interest, reserve a place or for further information contact Ray Boniface

PO Box U237 University of Wollongong NSW 2500 Australia

p: +61 2 4228 3887 m: 0409 927 129e: heritagedest@bigpond.com

ABN 21 071 079 859 Lic No TAG1747

H E R I TA G E D E S T I N AT I O N SN AT U R E • B U I L D I N G S • P E O P L E • T R A V E L L E R S

CAMBODIA: ANGKOR WAT AND BEYOND

ISAN: THAILAND’S ANCIENT KHMER CONNECTION

INSIDE BURMA: THE ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE

29 October – 15 November 2012Angkor’s timeless grandeur is unmissable.

Yet Cambodia offers a host of other important cultural and travel experiences: outstanding

ancient, vernacular and French colonial architecture; spectacular riverine environments;

a revitalising urban capital in Phnom Penh; interesting cuisine and beautiful countryside. Gill

Green, President of TAASA, art historian and author specialising in Cambodian culture; and Darryl

Collins, prominent Australian expatriate university lecturer, museum curator, and author who has lived

and worked in Cambodia for over twenty years, have designed and co-host this annual program.

Land Only cost per person twinshare ex Phnom Penh $4600

07 February – 25 February 2013Isan is the least visited part of Thailand. But

this north-eastern region has a distinctive identity and, in many ways, is the Kingdom’s heartland.

Here older Thai customs remain more intact and sites of historical and archaeological

significance abound. Darryl Collins and Gill Green (see above) expertly host this new journey which

includes spectacular Khmer temples such as Prasat Phimai, Phanom Rung, Prasat Meung Tam, and Ban Chiang (the most important prehistoric settlement so far discovered in Southeast Asia). Other inclusions, including a sidetrip across the mighty Mekong into Laos to explore Wat Phu

Champasak, are also scheduled.Land Only cost per person

twinshare ex Bangkok $4500

15 February – 06 March 2013Burma is undergoing unprecedented change and

publicity. Few people have immersed themselves as deeply here as TAASA contributor Dr Bob Hudson. His longstanding annual Burma program features extended stays in medieval Mrauk U, capital of the lost ancient kingdom of Arakan (now Rakhine State)

and Bagan, rivalling Angkor Wat as Southeast Asia’s richest archaeological precinct. Exciting experiences in Yangon, Inle Lake, Mandalay

and a private cruise down the mighty Ayeyarwady are also included. Limited places available.

Land Only cost per person twinshare ex Yangon $3990

BaliagaVillages:fieldworkinthe1980s

Carole Muller

Walsh Bay press, Sydney, 2011

rrp: US$100 for hardcover book;

ebook US$6.99 for ipad or iphone

Balinese I know like to spend time surfingthe internet for colonial photographs andfilm of their island, eager to see howmuchithaschanged in the last centuryor so.Thepublication of Carole Muller’s fantasticcollection of photographs of Bali Aga or‘Original Balinese’ villages, taken in the1980s, will serve as a sharp reminder tocriticalBalineseaudiencesthatthemostrapidchanges to the island have come in the lasttwoorthreedecades.

Carole Muller’s book began life as a field-work record from her unpublished researchasastudent,mainlyattheAustralianNationalUniversity, but also at the University ofSydney.Inothercircumstancesafewofthesephotographs might have seen the light ofday ina thesis thatonlya fewpeoplewouldbeabletoreadinauniversitylibrary,butthevicissitudesof theauthor’s life asadesigner,heritage researcher and traveller meant thatthis was not to be their fate. Rather, CaroleMullerhaspublishedascompletearecordaspossibleofthevillagesshevisited,acollectionofimagesthatareatoncedocumentaryandart.

Thequalityof thisbook ismixed,butwhenyouknowwhy ithasbeenproducedwithasenseofurgency,thenthefewtypographicalerrors and inconsistencies with Balinesespellingscanbeoverlooked.CaroleMuller’seyesight was deteriorating, and she wasdetermined to review and present herphotographswhile still able to do so. Beingdocumentary photographs, their quality issomewhatuneven:butthataddstothecharmofthebook,sinceweget thesensethat theyhavenotbeenslicklyreconditionedorheavilyedited,butrathergiveasetofimpressionsof

thelivingconditionsofBalinesevillagersatthetime. Some are artistically-framed, drawingattention to the patterns of rounded mud-bricksordeterioratingplaster,otherscapturespontaneous moments of meeting withtemple priests and villagers, or negotiatingthepigsanddogsonpebblepaths.

BaliAga are not a single group, but rather acategoryofBalinesewhodefinethemselvesinopposition to the Javanese-influenced culturethat followed Majapahit domination of theislandinthe13thcentury.Thevillagesarebestdefinedas‘archaic’Balinese,inthattheyhavethefeel,andsomeoftheorganisingprinciples,ofvillagesintheislandstotheeast.Theyarenot, as is sometimes erroneously presented,pre-Hindu, but rather represent variationsof the mainstream Hindu-Buddhist practicesofBali. Inrecentyears,asMullerobserves inthe introduction, there have been attemptsto homogenise Bali along these mainstreamlines.FortheBaliAgavillagesthishasmeantloss of unique orientation and the buildingof standardised temple forms, somethingthat the anthropologist Thomas Reuter hasdocumentedinsomedepthinhiswriting.

Perhaps it iswrong to feel nostalgic for theBalithatnowexistsonlyinthesephotographs,sinceitsuniquenesswaspreservedbypovertyand isolation, and the health andwellbeingof these villagers has improved markedlywithbetter roads andmarket access.Yet forme the distinctive and elegant simplicityof the villages captured in this book cannotbut evoke nostalgia for a less pretentiouslybeautifulstyleofBalineselife.ThisrecordofBali deserves awider audience, not least toprovoke discussion among Balinese abouttheirchangingculture.

Adrian Vickers is professor of Southeast Asian Studies

and Director of the Australian Centre for Asian Art

and Archaeology, University of Sydney.

BooK rEViEW: B A L I AG A V I L L AG E S - D O C U M E N T S A S A R T

AdrianVickers

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

25

t a a S a M E M B E r S ’ d i a r Y

JUNE – AUGUST 2012

Special TAASA Viewing of Love and Devotion: From Persia and Beyond at the State Library of Victoria, 11 April.

SLV Conference Love and Devotion: Persian Cultural Crossroads, 12-14 April.

Over 40 TAASA members, mostly fromVictoria but joined by a strong interstatecontingent, enjoyed meeting over drinksand canapés at SLV’s smart Mr Tulks caféwhere Susan Scollay (co-curator of the SLVexhibition) gave an introductory talk aboutthis exhibition. This was followed by aprivateviewingofthisexquisitecollectionofmanuscript paintings, mainly on loan fromtheBodleianLibraries,UniversityofOxford,where Susan and other expert guides wereavailabletoanswerquestions.

For those of us who were lucky enough tobe able to attend the conferenceheldon thefollowing days at the SLV, this truly offeredan immersion in the rich legacy of Persianpoets and writers, beautifully presented inillustratedmanuscriptsproducedinIranitselfandinthewiderPersianateworld,especiallyfromthe15thto18thcenturies.

Theconferencewas launchedbyanopeningkeynote address on Thursday evening byDr Charles Melville, Professor of PersianHistoryatUniversityofCambridge.Thiswasattendedbyanastounding500orsopeople.Dr Melville provided an overview of someof the main themes of Persian literature –epics, histories and romanceswhich explorevariousmanifestationsof earthlyanddivinelove – and how these themes evolved overtime and were enthusiastically taken up inthe neighbouring lands of CentralAsia, theIndiansubcontinentandOttomanTurkey.

On the following two days, a series ofkeynote addresses and shorter papersprovidedindepthtalksonspecificsignificantmanuscripts, or followed particular legendsor themes in the Persian literary tradition,such as the story of Layla andMajnun andFirdausi’s Shahnama orBook of the kings, astheyevolvedover timeorwere re-imaginedinotherplaces.

Theconferencehowever,didnotjustconcernitself with classic Persian literature, and thearts of the physical books in which thesevivid stories and poems were conveyed. It

alsoexploredthemessuchasthedepictionofwomen inwellknownstories suchasYusufand Zulaykha, and the role of women inIslamic Sufism (specifically Rumi’s spiritualcircle). Another strand explored east/ westinteraction including European perspectiveson Persia in the 17th century, the influenceof Persian mythology on the Irish politicalwriter Thomas Moore and the complextransformationofHafiz’spoetry inGoethe’spoetictextWest-Easterndivan(1819).

Areallywelcomecomponentoftheconferenceon Saturday was the inclusion of talks onthe contemporary legacy of Persian culturaltraditions. Hossein Valamanesh talkedabout the influence of Rumi’s poetry on hiswork,directlyreferenced,forexample,inhisinstallationTheLovercircleshisownheart(1993)currently on show in the newly renovatedMCAinSydney.Wealsoenjoyedtalksontheuseofghazal,aclassicalPersianpoetic form,bycontemporaryAustralianpoets;depictionofloveincontemporaryIraniancinema,andthelegacyofPersianpoetryincontemporaryIranianmusicincludingpop,rockandfusion.

The presentations themselves, drawing ona rangeof local andoverseas scholars,wereoften lively and amusing and the evidentpleasuremanyofthespeakersfeltinreadingsome of their favourite Persian poems - inEnglish, andmore lyrically in their originalFarsi-wasinfectious.

The SLV is to be congratulated for itscommitment to this project and for themeticulouswayinwhichtheTAASAviewingandconferencewasorganised.

r E C E N t t a a S a E V E N t S

JosefaGreenSUSAN SCOLLAY INTRODUCING THE LOVe AND DeVOTiON

ExHIBITION TO TAASA MEMBERS. pHOTO: GILL GREEN

Members’ Visit: Private Sydney Collection of Iranian Arts Saturday 23 June 2012 Ceramics,textiles,dressitems,metalwareandfurnishingshavebeenamassedovermanyvisitstoIranbythecollector,whohas16yearsexperienceasaguideattheV&ALondon.MintteaandPersiancakeswillbeserved.

Therewillbetwosessions10.30–12.00and1.30–3.00andmembersneedtonominatewhichtheywishtoattend.TAASAmembersonly.$20perperson.Numbersarelimitedsopleasebookearly.Forbookingsandfurtherinformation,includingvenueaddress,contactGillGreen:0293311810oremailgillians@ozemail.com.au.

Lesley Pullen Illustrated Talk - Dressed to Impress: Textiles carved in relief on the Sculptures of East Java: 13th and 14th century.Sydney: 6.30pm Tuesday 10 July.LesleyPullenisresearchingthistopic,exploringhowthesetextilesrelatetoearlierIndicdresstraditions.LesleyhasaMastersintheHistoryofArtandArchaeologyandisascholarandteachingfellowattheSchoolofOrientalandAfricanStudies,UniversityofLondon.

Venuedetailstobeannounced

Thiswillbearepeatofatalkpresentedon6JulyattheNGAinCanberra.TAASA Symposium: Japanese Decorative Arts Saturday 4 August 2012, Domain Theatre AGNSW.ThisfulldaysymposiumisbeingheldbyTAASA,inconjunctionwiththeAGNSW,tocoincidewiththeAGNSWexhibitionKamisakaSekka:DawnofModernJapaneseDesignwhichrunsfrom22Juneto26August(seearticleonpp4-6).SpeakersincludeDrKhanhTrinh(exhibitioncurator),DaleGluckman(ex-LosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt),LesleyKehoe,(aleadingspecialistJapaneseartdealer),DrChiakiAjioka(Independentscholar)andDrOliviaMeehan(AssistantCuratorAsianArt,NGA).Memberswillbesentmoredetailedinformationbutputthisdateinyourdiary.

26 TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

GoldJewelleryoftheindonesianarchipelago

Anne Richter and Bruce W Carpenter

Editions Didier Millet, Singapore, 2011

rrp $ US 110.00

This 480page tomedocuments the extensiveand comprehensive collection of goldjewelleryandritualitemsfromtheIndonesianarchipelago held by Singapore’s MandalaFoundation.Rareexamplesdatefromthemid-firstmillenniumCE but themajority date tothe19-20thcentury.ArtefactsfromtheperhapsmorefamiliartraditionsofBaliandJavaarenotincludedinthisvolume.TAASAmemberswillrecall co-authorAnne Richter’s article in theTAASAReviewonMagic,Myth&MicrocosmsinSoutheastAsianJewellery(Sept.2009:4–6).

Itistheimagesofthegoldartefactsthathaveprideofplaceinthispublicationandthefullcolourusedthroughoutemphasisesthelavishpresentation.Andwhatimagestheyare.ThequalityofJorgSundermann’sphotographyissuperb.Manyoftheartefactshaveapagetothemselveswith sharp detail heightened onanuncluttereddarkbackground.The choiceto put this much effort into the productionof the images sets a ‘gold standard’ ofphotography unmatched by any previousbookonthissubject.

Thesheernumberofartefactsillustrated-welloverathousand-aswellastheirvarietyareastonishing.Therearenecklaces,headpieces,rings,pendants, pectorals, bracelets, anklets,earringsandearpendants,beltbuckles,wristcuffs, chains, bags, diadems, crowns, belts,combs, betel boxes, pillow ends, children’smodestyplaques,andevenagoldnecklaceforabuffalo. In their form,designand imageryexamples range from archaic indigenousartefacts to those of the newer traditions ofIslam and of the Peranakan Chinese thatpenetrated the region from the 15th centurytothepresent.

Introductory essays on the importance ofgoldinthecommunitiesthatproducedtheseartefacts delve into historical, cultural andanthropological sources. The symbolism ofarchaicmotifs such as the tree of life, boats,birdsand theubiquitousnagaarediscussed

in the context ofAustronesian cosmologicalbeliefsystems.

Essaysonthespecificfeaturesandtraditionsofeachregionintroducesucceedingchapters.SoutheastMaluku isdiscussedfirstasBruceCarpenter remarks that the gold items fromSoutheastMalukuare ‘exceedinglyrare’andbelong‘inaclassof[their]own’.ChaptersonTimor, Sumba, Flores, Sulawesi, South andWestSumatra,thePeranakanChinese,Batak,NiasandAcehcompletethetext.

Finally in a segment named ‘Methodology’,Carpenter provides a clear-eyed guide toa topic that is always in the back of theminds of collectors and curators - that ofauthenticity.He addresses this issue in fourshortbutsuccinctappendicesunderthetitles‘Authentic but of Limited Age’; ‘Fantasiesand Fakes’; ‘Old but Reconstructed’ and‘Pending’.Thisisascholarlybookwrittenbyrenownedresearchersinthefieldwithjusttheright amount of information which informswithout overwhelming the impact of thejewelleryitself.

Gill Green is president of TAASA and an Honorary

Associate in the Department of Art History and Film

Studies, University of Sydney.

B o o K r E V i E W: I N D O N E S I A N G O L D J E W E L L E R Y

GillGreen

27TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 2 1 N O . 2

W H a t ’ S o N i N a U S t r a l i a : J U N E - A U G U S T 2 0 1 2

A S E L E C T I V E R O U N D U p O F E x H I B I T I O N S A N D E V E N T S

CompiledbyTinaBurge

aCt

travellingtheSilkroad:ancientPathwayto

theModernWorld

National Museum of Australia, Canberra

31 March – 29 July 2012

ThisexhibitionfromtheAmericanMuseumofNaturalHistoryexplorestheconceptoftheSilkRoadbyfocusingonfourancientcitiesalongtheroutes’paths:Xi’an,Turfan,SamarkandandBaghdad.InrecognitionthatthevariousSilkRoadsalsoincludedsearoutes,oneoftheexhibitionhighlightsisahugereplicaoftheprowofadhow-anArabiansailingship.

On15Junefrom6.30-9.30pmtherewillbeaNightMarketFestivalwherevisitorscansamplethesights,smells,tastesandsoundsoftheSilkRoadwithmarketstalls,artistdemonstrations,andmusicanddanceperformances.

TherewillbeaconversationbetweenKenParry,ancienthistoryscholarandJoyceMorgan,co-authorofJourneysontheSilkRoad,abouttheSilkRoadfromthetimeofGenghisKhantotoday,on22Juneat12.15pm.For bookings and more information about the exhibition go to www.nma.gov.au

dressedtoimpress:textilescarved

inreliefonthesculpturesofEastJava:

13th&14thcentury

The National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Asian Textile Talk by Lesley pullen

6 July at 12.45pm

LesleyPullenfromtheSchoolofOrientalandAfricanStudies,UniversityofLondonwillpresentanillustratedtalkonthesignificanceofthetextilescarvedinreliefonEastJavansculpturesfromthe13thand14thcenturies.ShewillexplorehowthesesculpturesmightinformusaboutthetransferofearlierIndicdresstraditions,andconcludesbyreviewing

howthesetextiledesignsarereflectedinthedevelopmentofaMalayaestheticasevidencedincontemporarytextileproduction.For further information go to: nga.gov.au

NSW

2012artsofasialectureseries:love

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

On Tuesdays from 6 March, 1-2pm

Theupliftingandtransformativeexperienceofloveisthethemeforthe2012ArtsofAsialectureseries.Thelectureswillofferfreshinsightsintotheinterpretationofloveinthereligious,literaryandartisticworlds.ThefirstlectureofTerm2willbebyTibetanscholarDavidTemplemanfromMonashUniversityonTibetandepictionsoflove:men,womenandthedivine.For further information go to: www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/calendar/arts-asia-lecture-2012/