Contemporary women artists of Japan
six stories
Past exhibition
2 December 2021 – 13 February 2022
Sign up to our emails and be the first to hear about upcoming exhibitions and events.
Browse past exhibition catalogues, books and gifts, available in the British Museum Shop.
This display explored the experiences and expressive visions of internationally acclaimed Japanese women artists from the 1960s to the 2010s.
Focused on six visually striking works created in a range of mediums, it shone a spotlight on the personal lives and meditations of each artist and the subjects of their work. The featured artists are Shinoda Tōkō, Yoshida Chizuko, Kobayashi Kiyoko, Furuta Miyuki, Kawauchi Rinko and Yamamoto Akane.
As well as highlighting the artists' individual stories, the display invited visitors to reflect on wider issues and debates surrounding gender inequality. This was brought into sharp focus in Japan in 2021 following a senior male politician's remarks in which he praised the women in his team that didn't talk for too long. He used the Japanese verb wakimaeru, meaning 'to understand the correct order and customs and to act accordingly.'
In the shadow of this controversy, the resulting backlash and a recent report indicating the country's stark gender gap, this show offered an intimate glimpse into the lives of women navigating contemporary Japanese society, amplifying the six artists' stories, and celebrating the universal resonance of their work.
Exhibition supporter
Supported by
These displays were made possible by the support of The Asahi Shimbun Company, longstanding corporate sponsors of the British Museum. The Asahi Shimbun is a Japanese leading newspaper and the company also provides a substantial information service via the internet. The company has a century-long tradition of philanthropic support, notably staging key exhibitions in Japan on art, culture and history from around the world. In addition to the Asahi Shimbun Displays, The Asahi Shimbun Company is a committed supporter of the British Museum touring exhibition programme in Japan, and funder of The Asahi Shimbun Gallery of Amaravati sculpture in Room 33a.
この展示シリーズは、大英博物館の長きにわたる法人スポンサーである朝日新聞社のご支援によって実現しています。朝日新聞は日本の主要な新聞で、朝日新聞社ではインターネットを通じた幅広い情報提供も行っています。同社には一世紀にわたる慈善活動支援の伝統があり、とりわけ世界の美術や文化および歴史についての主要な展覧会の日本国内開催で知られています。朝日新聞ディスプレーに加え、日本における大英博物館の巡回展、および大英博物館朝日新聞ギャラリーのアマラヴァティ仏教彫刻の展示にもご支援いただいています。
