Temple picture, China, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736–1795)

Asia

Name: Free admission at the MAK with the STANDARD under your arm
Start: 2024-12-14T10:00
End: 2024-12-14T18:00
Location: MAK – Museum of Applied Arts

The internationally renowned artist Tadashi Kawamata from Japan developed the concept for the presentation of the distinguished objects of the MAK Asia Collection.

MAK – Museum of Applied Arts

The worldwide unique design of the Asia room questions existing exhibition norms and is shaped by Kawamata’s critical ideas and visions: permanent change, no hierarchies, the direct experience of the exhibits from an unusual perspective, and a room design defined by human dimensions.

Upon entering the MAK Permanent Collection Asia, you immediately notice that this room is very different from the other exhibition rooms in the museum. Tall showcases made of rough wood define the entire space while guiding visitors through the room on a narrow path. On the walls and the glass of the showcases information about the room and the objects is provided in black color and in different scripts. By purposefully abstaining from printed panels, the artist aims to animate the audience to explore the respective object in a more detailed and direct way. In small niches, which were carved into the walls, religious figures in small format are positioned in front of rough bricks.

Credits

Artistic Concept and Design:
Tadashi Kawamata

Curator:
Mio Wakita, Curator, MAK Asia Collection

Guided Tours

MAKtour

Every week you can explore our permanent collections anew together with our art educators. Each time they focus on something different, with fascinating stories, insights, and background information on the exhibits.

every Sunday, 11 am

Publication

The MAK Permanent Collection ASIA is accompanied by the MAK/GUIDE ASIA. China – 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, 200 pages and appr. 100 color illustrations, Vienna / Munich–London–New York: MAK / Prestel Verlag, 2014. Available at the MAK Design Shop and makdesignshop.at

MAK Guide

Experience the MAK by listening! Explore the MAK with the digital MAK Guide. Audio pieces and high-resolution images offer you an entirely new access to MAK objects and their stories. Free of charge and without download on your mobile at guide.MAK.at

Awards

Silver at the International Design & Communication Awards (Istanbul), 2015

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Kawamoto Masukichi (1831–1907), Ornamental panel “Mount Fuji”

Dish, China, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736–1795)

Dish, China, Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), mid-14th c.

Basin, China, Ming dynasty, Wanli period (1573–1619)

Wall decoration in the form of a fan, Japan, before 1873

Right at the beginning of the tour, a spatial connection to Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries can be found on the left between Chinese ceramics, enameled metal works, and a painting in the style of Tibetan mural art: Here, a passage to the Baroque Rococo Classicism exhibition room was turned into a showcase. The ceramics exhibited in it bear witness to the mutual cultural and economic relationships between Vienna/Europe and East Asia in this period.

The objects displayed opposite highlight the exchange between China and Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries: For example, an enameled metal globe connects European cartography with Chinese craft and the Chinese world map, which was strongly influenced by mythology; or a porcelain plate from the Wiener Porzellanmanufaktur refers to its Chinese model.

At the back of the room, selected objects from Japan can be found. They were presented at the 1873 Vienna World's Fair and subsequently joined today’s MAK. They are highlights from different crafts and were made specifically for the show in Europe. One of the pieces is a large-sized porcelain decorative plate by artist Kawamoto Masukichi (1831–1907) displaying Mount Fuji in cobalt blue underglaze painting.
A further showcase includes different forms and types of Japanese export ceramics, such as jugs, plates, and vases, but also objects for the tea ceremonies, like tea bowls, water pots, and tea caddies are exhibited. They are contrasted by the ceramics from Korea on the other side of the path, which stand out due to their pure elegance.

If you look up in the middle of the room, you can discover three wooden heads: one of a Japanese Guardian of the Directions and two Bodhisattva heads from China. Above these East Asian figures spans the MAK’s ceiling fresco inspired by European Renaissance. This strong contrast between East Asian and European aesthetics is also reflected in the showcases illuminating the transcultural relationships between East Asia and Europe.