- "Thirty-Six New Views of Mount Fuji" by Peter MacMillan (Seisai)
at the Japan Information Center Gallery
- Location:
Japan Information Center Gallery
Consulate General of Japan in New York
299 Park Avenue, 18th Floor
- Date & Time:
Tue., January 5th through Thu., January 28th, 2016
9:30a.m. - 4:00p.m. (Closed on weekends & Holidays)
※Please bring photo ID
- Exhibition Summary:
The Thirty-Six New Views of Mount Fuji take their starting point from Katsushika Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, a series of color woodblock prints that depict Mount Fuji from thirty-six different perspectives. The Prints juxtapose an idealized historical view of Mount Fuji and Japanese culture with the actual reality of contemporary society.
By comparing the often humorous and witty disparities between the original and the recomposed images, Seisai invites viewers to examine the differences between traditional and contemporary Japanese culture. The series also celebrates Mount Fuji’s recently becoming a World Heritage Site. Traveling overseas Mount Fuji makes many friends around the world.
Mount Fuji is a sacred mountain of cultural importance. It has been depicted widely in literature and art since the seventh century. We hope the Thirty-Six New Views of Mount Fuji will transmit the cultural importance of this sacred mountain to people both in Japan and around the world.
The prints are mixed media, combining lithography, offset printing, hand-painting, and gold leaf applied by hand. They are made by Seisai and the assistants of his studio.
- Artist biography:
Peter MacMillan is a prize-winning translator, scholar, poet, and artist. He was born and grew up in a part of the Irish countryside surrounded by more horses than people. He graduated first in his class from the National University of Ireland, University College Dublin, and then went on to take an M.A. in philosophy and a Ph.D. in English literature. He spent two years as a Visiting Fellow at Princeton, Columbia, and Oxford universities. MacMillan is currently a Visiting Professor at Kyorin University and also teaches at The University of Tokyo. A citizen of both Ireland and Britain, he has lived in Japan for over twenty years and strives to be a bridge between Japan and the world. His artist name is Seisai.
In addition to creating woodblock prints, MacMillan is also a poet and translator. His translation, One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each (Hyakunin Isshu), was published in 2008, winning prizes in both Japan and the United States. He recently completed an English translation of the Tales of Ise (Ise Monogatari), to be published by Penguin in 2016. He has also published a collection of poetry, Admiring Fields.
MacMillan serves as a Councilor of the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan.
- Artist Contact:
tel : +81 (0)3-5422-8122
e-mail : office@macmillanoffice.com
http://peter-macmillan.com
