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Enchanted Worlds: Hokusai, Hiroshige and the Art of Edo Japan

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Click on the link on the right or below to view the virtual tour
Take the tour

Enchanted Worlds: Hokusai, Hiroshige and the Art of Edo Japan

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Enchanted Worlds: Hokusai, Hiroshige and the Art of Edo Japan

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This exhibition is now closed. Take the virtual tour to experience the characters, places and pastimes of Edo Japan from the comfort of your home. 

Enchanted Worlds: Hokusai, Hiroshige and the Art of Edo Japan includes more than 70 paintings sourced from private art collections. Including delicate silk paintings, precious scrolls, folding screens and vibrant woodblock prints, this exhibition explores the wonder, mystery and enduring popularity of art from this period.

The exhibition presents a captivating introduction to the characters, places and pastimes of a flourishing era during Japan’s more-than 250 years of self-imposed isolation from the world. See life as it was captured by the most popular artists of the period, including Katsushika Hokusai, Andō Hiroshige, Kitagawa Utamaro and Keisai Eisen. There are iconic depictions of popular and seasonal landmarks, including rare paintings of snow-capped Mount Fuji, waterfalls, rivers and blossoming trees. Visitors will also be introduced to the symbolic world of animals and to the imaginary realms of myth and legend, inhabited by dragons and fantastic beings.
 
Enchanted Worlds: Hokusai, Hiroshige and the Art of Edo Japan will also demonstrate the enduring influence of Edo-period art through the inclusion of two digital artworks from celebrated contemporary artist Tabaimo and renowned international art collective teamLab. Using 21-st century technologies, both animate and bring to life the mysterious beauty of the Floating World evoked in woodblock prints and golden screens.
 
Enchanted Worlds: Hokusai, Hiroshige and the Art of Edo Japan has been curated by Japanese scholar, Rossella Menegazzo (Università degli Studi di Milano Statale), in collaboration with Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki curators, and is organised by MondoMostre, Italy.
 
We’re thrilled to be named a finalist in the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards in the Digital (Installation & Exhibition) category for our Enchanted Worlds Virtual Tour. Take the tour today! 
 
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Extras

Learn

On the occasion of this exhibition, the Gallery has published the e-publication, Reflections on the Floating World

Click below to download this e-publication online.
 
 
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Read more

We’ve created English and Chinese reading lists connecting you to further resources on Edo-period Japan, its art and its artists.

 

Download the PDFs to discover recommendations for books to read and for links to e-publications and videos by experts from around the world.

Shop

We’ve updated our online shop with an exciting range of Japanese-made and Japan-inspired products in celebration of Enchanted Worlds: Hokusai, Hiroshige and the Art of Edo Japan.

 

Every purchase you make goes towards supporting the Gallery's work to connect art with people. Visit our online shop to check out the full range.