Covered Jar
Japan, Arita, Edo Period (1603–1867), ca. 1670–1690
Porcelain with painting in enamel colors on the glaze; Kakiemon styleKe 8072 / 1949, formerly Exner Collection, Vienna
In 1650, Sakaida Kizaemon (1596–1666), named Kakiemon, founded a small manufactory near Arita and decorated porcelains with few colors and Chinese motifs. He learned the technique of painting on the glaze from refugee potters from China. In 1680 the first porcelains left his workshop on the way to Europe, where they were at once in great demand. They adorned European palaces, frequently in sets of two covered vases and two flute vases. Although of Japanese origin, the Kakiemon porcelains were deemed to be the quintessence of Chinese and became popular models for motifs in chinoiserie decoration.
The MAK Asia Collection is one of the foremost collections of Asian art and applied arts in Europe. Its precious works manifest not only their aesthetic qualities, but furthermore inform on the reciprocal influences of great civilizations on many areas of art, thought and everyday life.
The new installation of the MAK Permanent Collection Asia on the museum ground floor opens up new perspectives.
“In Tadashi Kawamata the MAK has found the ideal artist for the newly conceived collection presentation. Ever since taking part in the Biennale in Venice in 1982, Tadashi Kawamata has been one of the leading contemporary artists in Asia and Europe. His works have an ephemeral character, thus are intensively related to place and time, subtly connecting the different cultures. His installation Yusuke Nakahara's Cosmology for the Echigo Tsumari Art Triennial in Japan in 2012 is a reinterpretation of an art critic’s comprehensive library and inspired us to invite him to work with the MAK Asia Collection.” (Johannes Wieninger, Curator, Asia Collection)
Kawamata’s ideas for the MAK Collection are based in concept on permanent change and the play of light and shade. Two large, scaffold-like showcase blocks will house the exhibits from the collection, enabling diverse viewpoints based on this shared “narrative through objects”. Kawamata will “envelop and embrace” the collection with his installation. Although seemingly chaotic at first glance and placed in confrontation to the collection objects, the contrast is only superficial. Tadashi Kawamata places the artworks in a context that keeps things moving, whether the act of observation or the observers themselves, for he says: “My projects are never finished; it seems quite natural to me that something is never finished.”
From the outset it was envisaged that Kawamata’s modular constructed room composition from 2014 would be redesigned after roughly two years. In line with a revised spatial concept by Kawamata from 2016, the position of the vitrine modules had been altered, and numerous objects from the MAK Asia Collection had been exchanged in May 2016. Kawamata has “liberated” the artworks from their vitrines and opened up entirely new perspectives on the exhibits.
Silver for the MAK at the International Design & Communication Awards (Istanbul), 2015
The MAK scored with the reinstallation of the MAK Permanent Collection ASIA. China – Japan – Korea >>>
The new installation of the MAK Permanent Collection Asia on the museum ground floor opens up new perspectives.
“In Tadashi Kawamata the MAK has found the ideal artist for the newly conceived collection presentation. Ever since taking part in the Biennale in Venice in 1982, Tadashi Kawamata has been one of the leading contemporary artists in Asia and Europe. His works have an ephemeral character, thus are intensively related to place and time, subtly connecting the different cultures. His installation Yusuke Nakahara's Cosmology for the Echigo Tsumari Art Triennial in Japan in 2012 is a reinterpretation of an art critic’s comprehensive library and inspired us to invite him to work with the MAK Asia Collection.” (Johannes Wieninger, Curator, Asia Collection)
Kawamata’s ideas for the MAK Collection are based in concept on permanent change and the play of light and shade. Two large, scaffold-like showcase blocks will house the exhibits from the collection, enabling diverse viewpoints based on this shared “narrative through objects”. Kawamata will “envelop and embrace” the collection with his installation. Although seemingly chaotic at first glance and placed in confrontation to the collection objects, the contrast is only superficial. Tadashi Kawamata places the artworks in a context that keeps things moving, whether the act of observation or the observers themselves, for he says: “My projects are never finished; it seems quite natural to me that something is never finished.”
From the outset it was envisaged that Kawamata’s modular constructed room composition from 2014 would be redesigned after roughly two years. In line with a revised spatial concept by Kawamata from 2016, the position of the vitrine modules had been altered, and numerous objects from the MAK Asia Collection had been exchanged in May 2016. Kawamata has “liberated” the artworks from their vitrines and opened up entirely new perspectives on the exhibits.
Silver for the MAK at the International Design & Communication Awards (Istanbul), 2015
The MAK scored with the reinstallation of the MAK Permanent Collection ASIA. China – Japan – Korea >>>
MAK/GUIDE
ASIAChina – Japan – Korea
Edited by Christoph Thun-Hohenstein and Johannes Wieninger, texts by Christoph Thun-Hohenstein and Johannes Wieninger, as well as an interview with Tadashi Kawamata, German/English, ca. 200 pages and appr. 100 color illustrations, Vienna / Munich–London–New York: MAK / Prestel Verlag, 2014. Available at the MAK Design Shop
Curator / Design
Curator Johannes Wieninger, Curator, Asia CollectionArtistic Concept and Design Tadashi Kawamata
Guided tours
Special guided tours by advance booking: Gabriele Fabiankowitsch, Head, MAK Educational ProgramsT +43 1 711 36-298,