JAPAN SUPERNATURAL AT THE ART GALLERY OF NSW Yuki Kawakami – TAASA Review December 2019

J apan supernatural, AGNSW’s major summer exhibition, introduces audiences to the wildly imaginative world of strange creatures, shape-shifting animals, mischievous goblins and vengeful ghosts from Japanese folklore.

The exhibition presents almost 300 years of art from the Edo period (c1603 ­ 1868) to the new imperial era of Reiwa which began in 2019. Over 180 objects, including paintings, woodblock prints, textiles and sculpture from the Gallery’s rich collection are on display alongside loans from international museums including the British Museum, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (MFA), the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) and The Broad in Los Angeles, as well as institutions across Australia such as the National Gallery of Australia and National Library of Australia in Canberra, National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne and the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney.

Adding richness to the exhibition are works of art generously lent from private collections in Japan, Australia and Germany. As part of the research for this exhibition, Melanie Eastburn, senior curator of Asian art and exhibition curator, and I travelled to Miyoshi, a town more than two hours by bus from Hiroshima city...