Exhibitions
KAMAKURA ANNEX Current & Upcoming Exhibitions
Naoyo Fukuda: At the Threshold's Edge
Naoyo Fukuda (1967–) is an artist who explores her belief that "the world is made of words" through both language and art. She creates palindromes that read the same forwards and backward while also sculpting with objects tied to words, such as books, letters, pencils, and erasers. These objects are shaved, folded, cut, stitched with thread, and pierced with needle holes, losing their original forms and gradually disintegrating into small particles. This exhibition presents Fukuda's creative world, highlighting the transience of existence and the "in-between" of life and death through an installation that encompasses the entire exhibition space.
Image: Naoyo Fukuda, From Things Washed Ashore / A Spoonful of Salvation / Fountain, 2024-2026, Artist's collection. Photo:Takahashi Kenji
Yamamuro Shinji’s Potato Prints “Histoires Naturelles in Kamakura”
From the Museum Collection: In Everyday Life
Yamamuro Shinji (1939–) has developed and refined potato-block printmaking through self-directed study, while also undertaking numerous projects in book design and bookbinding. Alongside his existing works, this exhibition presents his new piece Hundred-Leaf Box, which incorporates words by the artist Shimura Fukumi (1924–, dyeing and weaving artist, essayist.). Also on display are selected works from the Museum’s collection, including pieces by Aso Saburo (1913–2000) and others who drew inspiration from scenes of everyday life.
Image: Yamamuro Shinji, Loquat and Japanese nine-spotted moth, 2024, Private collection. Photo: Suzuki Shizuka
Polish Poster Exhibition 2: From the Former Collection of Copperplate Engraver Watanabe Chihiro
From the Museum Collection
Recognizing the international acclaim of Polish posters, copperplate engraver Watanabe Chihiro (1944–2009) began collecting them after visiting Poland in the immediate aftermath of the 1989 revolutions in Eastern Europe. His collection, totaling 250 works, was later donated by his family. Combined with the 295 posters already held by the Museum, it now forms a significant body of material for surveying the history of Polish poster design. This exhibition presents approximately seventy works by poster artists active before and after the political transformations of 1989, including Mieczysław Grochowski (1941–2011) and Stasys Eidrigevičius (1949–), selected from Watanabe’s former collection.
Image: Stasys Eidrigevičius, The 16th International Biennial of Contemporary Ex Libris, 1996, Museum collection
Reminiscences of Fukagawa: Ito Shinsui and Sekine Shoji
Ito Shinsui (1898–1972) and Sekine Shoji (1899–1919) were childhood friends who grew up in Fukagawa Ward of Tokyo City, now part of Koto Ward, Tokyo. Aspiring to become painters, the two maintained a close and stimulating relationship until Sekine’s untimely death at the age of twenty. This exhibition presents, for the first time, early works by Ito Shinsui from the 1910s, shedding light on the little-known youthful works of this later nationally celebrated artist. Alongside these are representative works by Sekine Shoji, tracing the mutual influence the two artists exerted on one another.
Images: [left] Sekine Shoji, Farmer, 1916; [right] Ito Shinsui, Lotus and a Grasshopper, 1916, Museum collections