FRUiTS: Tokyo Street Style

Explore a radical Japanese fashion culture through a new exhibition opening at the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery on Wednesday 11 May, 2011. FRUiTS: Tokyo street style – photographs by Shoichi Aoki showcases a vibrant and engaging collection of photographs that celebrate the fresh approach to fashion by Tokyo’s youth.  

The exhibition features more than 60 photographs taken by Japanese photographer Shoichi Aoki in Tokyo between 1997 and 2002. The striking portraits provide a fascinating insight to the lives of a group of young Japanese people who express their individuality and fixations through their clothing.  

Aoki began documenting street fashion in Tokyo’s fashionable Harajuku area in the mid 1990s when he noticed a change in the way young people were dressing.

Rather than following European and American trends, youth were customising elements of traditional Japanese dress – kimono, obi sashes and geta sandals - and combining them with handmade, second-hand and alternative designer fashion in an innovative ‘DIY’ approach to dressing.

According to Shoichi Aoki, the fashion featured in FRUiTS is “more about the art of ‘putting things on’ than the art of making clothes.”

“Because western clothing has a short history in Japan, there is a strong tendency for people to dress in the same style as each other...In Japan, having a different style is a kind of risk...”

“The fashion movement that came about in Harajuku was a revolution. This kind of fashion was not ‘suggested’ by designers, but rather, the fashion of the young inspired the designers.”

Each photograph in the exhibition is accompanied by the name and age of the subject, a short description of their outfit and its origins and the subject’s own explanation of their fashion inspirations and obsessions.

Some of the many styles seen in FRUiTS include punk, cyber and decora, in which simple garments are accessorised with toys and plastic jewellery that clink together to add an aural dimension to dress.  Clothing inspired by cartoon characters like Sailor Moon are also popular.

In the last couple of years ‘elegant gothic Lolitas’ have had a strong presence in Japan. This style takes Harajuku’s doll-like ‘Lolita’ look into a harder world of black lace crinolines, corsets and bat-shaped handbags.

FRUiTS: Tokyo street style was developed by the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, in association with Shoichi Aoki. 

FRUiTS: Tokyo Street Style opens at the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery on Wednesday 11th May, 2011. Doors open at 5pm-8pm, entry is free. The exhibition continues from 11 May - 26 June 2011. 

Check out the FRUiTS teaser on BRAGs Youtube Channel
Visit the FRUiTS page at the Powerhouse Museum
 

Zhongjian: Midway

The exhibition Zhongjian: Midway, curated by Chinese artist and curator Jin Sha, brings together fifteen of China and Australia’s most significant contemporary artists: Jin Sha, Liu Qinghe, Lü Peng, Yang Xifa, Zhang Qing, AhXian (Wollongong City Gallery only), Guan Wei, Guo Jian, Liu Xiao Xian, Shen Shaomin, Julie Bartholomew, Lionel Bawden, Kate Beynon, Sally Smart and Laurens Tan. Five are Chinese nationals living and working in China, five are Chinese-born artists living and working in Australia, and five identify themselves as Australian artists whose work has been closely informed by Chinese culture.

Following its tour of four major centres in China - Beijing, Tianjin, Xiamen, Shanghai - the exhibition will tour to fourteen Australian regional venues, commencing at Wollongong City Gallery in October 2009. The artists represented in this exhibition explore the impacts of globalisation on cultural life and identity, investigating issues such as the clash between ethnic minority cultural traditions and contemporary civilization, the dying-out of minority languages brought about by the global mass media, and the convergence and divergence of
Eastern and Western cultures. Australia’s proximity to and relationship with Asia has a major impact on our economy, politics and culture. In recent years, the economic and cultural powerhouse of China has been a potent force helping to reshape Australia’s evolving global identity. The strength of this influence can be seen in the keen interest in contemporary Chinese art and culture within the Australian art world. Led by a growing number of expatriate Chinese artists who investigate notions of traditions, globalisation and identity in their work, these artists have developed a creative and unique voice within the contemporary Australian art scene. Similarly in China, that country’s relatively new associations with other nations have promoted an extraordinary rich and lively investigation by contemporary Chinese artists of the diverse experiences, influences and art styles on offer from those cultures.

In recent years, because of their common economic interests and needs arising from the development of
globalisation, the relationship between China and Australia has never been so important. At the same time the cultural and artistic exchanges and contacts between the two countries have also played increasingly important roles. Exhibitions such as this one are building bridges to improve mutual understanding and communication between citizens from each country.


Zhongjian: Midway - touring from the Wollongong City Gallery opens Wednesday 19th January and continues until 13th March 2011. 

21st Century Kids Summer Festival on Tour

On Saturday 15 January 2011, Queenslanders are invited to participate in a free day of activities at more than 50 regional and remote galleries and community centres simultaneously with the Gallery as part of the 21st Century Kids Summer Festival.

'21st Century Kids Summer Festival on Tour' will encourage children to explore and discover the fresh and imaginative ways that international artists consider their world in the 21st Century. Children and families are invited to participate in a one-day program of activities to be held throughout regional Queensland.
'21st Century Kids Summer Festival on Tour' will feature interactive activities for children and families by artists in the exhibition. The projects have been developed to reflect the themes of the exhibition, offering children and families insights into contemporary international art created in the past decade: Tony Albert (Australia) | Justine Cooper (Australia/United States) | Fiona Hall (Australia) | Romuald Hazoumè (Benin) | Bharti Kher (India) | Jorge Méndez Blake (Mexico) | Rivane Neuenschwander (Brazil) | Campbell Patterson (England/New Zealand) | John Pule (Niue/New Zealand) | Rirkrit Tiravanija (Argentia/Thailand)

Tony Albert Alien nation embassy 2008
Tony Albert invites all earthlings to become honorary citizens of the Alien Nation — but not before passing the citizenship test! Those who complete the test and become citizens receive a special Alien Nation citizenship certificate and card to show that they are part of the Alien Nation.

Justine Cooper The call of the wild 2006
This interactive game is especially for visitors under 5. Set in a natural history museum similar to those seen in Justine Cooper’s artworks, the aim of the game is to free trapped animals from the lockers and return them to their natural habitats.

Fiona Hall Fly away home 2010
Australian artist Fiona Hall has translated her interest in the migratory patterns of birds and nest-making into a hands-on activity. Young visitors make their own species of bird using templates and paper money created by the artist.

Romuald Hazoumè (MIB) Made in Brisbane 2010
Beninese artist Romuald Hazoumè travelled to Brisbane to conduct workshops with local high school students to create a large scale installation especially for ‘21st Century Kids’. As part of 21st Century Kids Summer Festival on Tour, visitors will have the chance to view this series of short documentaries which provide insights and highlights of this unique experience and the relationship built between the artist and students over the two week period.

Bharti Kher Nothing is ordinary 2006
Indian artist, Bharti Kher makes art with very small stickers called bindis, making pictures with them and sticking them on her sculptures. For 21st Century Kids Summer Festival on Tour, Bharti Kher has designed a special bindi for visitors to decorate themselves with before exploring the other activities.

Jorge Méndez Blake Discover Treasure Island 2010
In the Gallery of Modern Art’s Children’s Art Centre, Mexican artists Jorge Méndez Blake has created large murals based on Jorge’s favourite novel as a child - author Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale Treasure Island. For 21st Century Kids Summer Festival on Tour, children are invited to listen to a CD of swashbuckling sounds and draw a picture that illustrates what they are hearing.

Campbell Patterson Yes yes, no no 2010
New Zealand artist Campbell Patterson makes videos of himself that are funny, odd and fascinating. Campbell has created a list of challenges especially for children to do. Children are invited to watch his video, ‘Lifting my mother for as long as I can’, then complete the challenges and think of other funny activities they can perform.

John Pule Drawing words 2006
John Pule is an artist, writer and poet whose art works often combine words and images. Pule’s large-scale collarborative drawing project invites everyone to engage with Niunean legends and culture by responding to the artist’s word paintings.

Rirkrit Tiravanija Untitled (time sausage) 2010
The work of artist Rirkrit Tiravanija aims to bring visitors together and create living artworks in art galleries and museums. Tiravanija’s work for 21st Century Kids on Tour invites generations of children and their grandparents to share family histories, stories and images. Children and their parents or grandparents are invited to share family histories, stories and images.

Rivane Neuenschwander I wish your wish 2003
Inspired by a Brazilian tradition, Rivane Neuenschwander invites visitors to select and tie people’s wishes to their wrists. According to the tradition, the wish is granted when the ribbon eventually falls off.

21st Century Kids Summer Festival  is on tour at the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery on January 15, 2011 from 10.30am-2.30pm. It's free and there is no need to book - just turn up! 

Visit the official 21st Century blog at:   http://21cblog.com/