Day in day out, the Japanese way

Japanese embassy organises a wonderful calender exhibition displaying around 140 calenders.

ISLAMABAD: If calendars tickle your fancy, then make a beeline to the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA). Japanese embassy in collaboration with the Pakistan-Japan Cultural Association and MEXT Alumni Association of Pakistan have organised a wonderful calendar exhibition, which opened on Thursday.

Boasting an impressive array, around 140 calendars on show are as varied as they come and will be on display to the public till the 30th of
this month.

Calendars like postcards may not be regarded as art themselves; the medium inexistent but in reproduction, in collation, the mere date has found a perfect compliment, combining it with artwork and photography quite aesthetically. The many calendars on exhibit at the PNCA cover quite a lot; there is hardly a theme or a cultural curio that has been left out.

From traditional Japanese woodblock and screen printings to Bonsai trees, gardens, Sakura (cherry blossoms), Kimonos, Akitas (a Japanese breed of dog) contemporary and traditional art, scenery, costumes, people, art, photography, automobiles, wildlife, Ikebana, living styles and historical places, and calligraphy, the collection is extensive as it is rich. Of particular note in the assortment is the calendar bearing the works of noted Japanese artist, Sekka Kamasika. Painting near ordinary scenes, the work is exquisitely minimalist, a patina of colour throughout the work; a man walking through a snow storm, his black kimono dotted with snowfall, austere and captivating.

In addition to the calendars, finely crafted Kabuki and Kyoto dolls were also on display, their craftsmanship bearing a supreme level of detail and finesse.  Recreations and miniatures of the many characters appearing in traditional Japanese theatre, kabuki dolls are fine, intricate works as resplendent as their life size, on stage versions. Kyoto dolls resemble children’s porcelain dolls but are infinitely more valuable, the majority of them at the exhibition, the classic image of a maiden bearing
wisteria flowers.

Speaking on the occasion, PNCA Director General Tauqeer Nasir hoped that such an exhibition would provide a glimpse into Japanese culture.  Japanese Ambassador Chihiro Atsumi also spoke on
the occasion.

A lottery was announced to be held among the guests, awarding a lucky participant with one of the calendars at the end of the exhibition.

The Japanese calendars exhibition has become a popular annual event. The exhibition not only gives a picture of the socio-cultural development of Japan spread over countries but also exhibits the aesthetic features of Japanese printing technology.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2011.