JAPANESE ARTIST TAKAHASHI HIROMITSU. ASHMOLEAN

 Japanese artist Takahashi Hiromitsu creates dynamic, colourful prints showing exciting moments in kabuki, a traditional form of dance-drama. This is the second show in a two-part exhibition of his works in Gallery 29.

Hiromitsu’s striking designs are not portraits of actual actors, but visualisations of famous kabuki roles.

 

In kabuki, performers wearing elaborate costumes and make-up use stylised movement and song to enact melodramatic stories about love, loyalty and the clash between duty and emotion.

Dancing Cranes by Takahashi Hiromitsu, 2017 © Hiromitsu Takahashi / The Tolman Collection

Curator's guide to Hiromitsu's kabuki prints

Get up close to the colourful stencil prints of the contemporary artist Takahashi Hiromitsu with Japanese art curator Clare Pollard as she guides us through the Kabuki Legends exhibition at the Ashmolean. Discover the detailed stencil process of kappazuri, which the artist uses to create these vivid scenes inspired by kabuki theatre. From the clash of warriors on a moonlit bridge to the ferocious Cat of Okazaki, you'll also hear some of the dramatic stories of the kabuki characters depicted.

Kabuki Legends: Stencil Prints by Takahashi Hiromitsu is open in Gallery 29 at the Ashmolean Museum until 4 Feb 2024. Admission is free.

Visit the exhibition website:

https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/...