Exhibition Speaker Series: "Looking for Japan"

Gallery Talk: Looking for Japan: Early Japanese Photography

Join curators Dr. Mariah Postlewait and Dr. Peter Doebler for a gallery talk on the Focus Exhibition Looking for Japan: Early Japanese Photography

Date: Thursday, October 22, 6:00–6:30 PM
Cost: Members and FotoFocus Biennial Passport Holders: Free | Non-members: Included with the price of admission
Location: Dayton Art Institute, Gallery 117
Ages: All

For FotoFocus Biennial Passport Holders: To reserve your spot for free, please call the Dayton Art Institute 937-223-4278 during regular museum hours. 



About Looking for Japan: 

The Meiji period (1868–1912) encompassed great change, as traditional institutions gave way to political and social upheavals, along with the Westernization of aspects of Japanese culture. The photographs in this exhibition highlight such changes, from personal and private images to those made for a newly established tourist trade.

Early photography can foreground discussions regarding beliefs, traditions and practices within Japan as well as the ways in which they may have been packaged for, and influenced by, Western audiences. Objects on view will range from single photographs and postcards to albums, from albumen travel photographs to hanging scroll collotypes. The exhibition spotlights hand-colored prints depicting scenes of landscapes, cities and portraits, including historical Japanese architecture, hairstyles, clothing, weapons and even tattoos.

The highly personal, sometimes provocative images, are a focal point to consider history, culture and societal change. While more than a century ago, these themes are current and resonant and make for an especially timely reflection for visitors.