Exhibition held to mark 65 years of Pakistan-Japan diplomatic ties

Islamabad

In continuation of celebrations to mark 65 years of Pakistan-Japan diplomatic relations, the ambassador of Japan, Takashi Kurai and Mrs. Reiko Kurai hosted an exhibition at their residence to showcase the Japanese art of woodblock prints; doll making and embroidery. Art can be defined as something that is created with imagination and skill – a creative process that expresses the important ideas or feelings of the artist no matter what medium he/she uses.

While the wood block ‘paintings’ were interesting for their fine lines, it was the variety of gorgeous dolls of all shapes and sizes that proved interesting for most of the guests – ‘selfies’ and snapshots were the order of the day! A display on a seven tiered stand had significance – ‘Hinamatsuri,’ also called Doll's Day or Girls' Day, is a special day in Japan. It is celebrated each year on March 3 and stands are used to display a set of ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants and musicians in traditional court dress – a fascinating historical exhibit of a gone by era.

Welcoming his guests, Ambassador Kurai the exhibition aims to introduce them to traditional Japanese art arranged by the embassy in collaboration with the Lahore Arts Foundation Trust. He said a few words about the origins and methods used in the art forms; the cooperation with Comsats University in organising a Japanese woodblock printing workshop in October in which a number of artists, teachers and students participated to learn this unique Japanese art technique and mentioned that many of the woodblock prints displayed were curated by Sabah Hussein, who was also introduced. “She is exhibiting in Islamabad and I hope you will visit the gallery and enjoy an extensive display of her work,” he said.

As usual, refreshments were served and guests had a chance to sit outdoors and enjoy the pleasure of enjoying the lovely spring afternoon in the beautiful garden of the residence – its beauty enhanced by the central cherry/fruit tree which was in full bloom.

Woodblock printing in Japan started during Aska Period (593-710) to mainly introduce and spread Buddhism text and painting. However Japanese woodblock printing flourished and developed into art and amusement form during the Edo period in early seventeenth century (1603-1868) and today this printing technique is used all over the world. And to point out the difference between the western woodblock printing and Japanese one is that the western one uses oil-based ink and Japanese one uses water-based ink which give different impression of the end product.

There are various types of traditional dolls in Japan, some representing children and babies, some the imperial court, warriors and heroes, fairy-tale characters, gods and (rarely) demons and also people of the daily life of Japanese cities. Many have a long tradition and are still made today for household shrines, for formal gift-giving or for festival celebrations such as the Hinamatsuri Doll Festival, or ‘Kodomo no Hi’ - Children's Day. Some are manufactured as a local craft, to be purchased by pilgrims as a souvenir of a temple visit or some other trip.

Sabah Hussein in has delivered various lectures and workshops on Japanese woodblock printing and papermaking in Iran, India, England, Pakistan and Japan. She has also participated in 26 group exhibitions and organized 17 solo exhibitions all over the world till date. During her stay in Japan she received many scholarships and awards, such as the ‘Murasaki Award’ the ‘Graduate School Award;’ ‘The Japan Foundation Fellowship’ and the ‘Yoneyama Rotary Scholarship,’ to name a few.