With 300 Japanese posters on view, a Far Eastern atmosphere pervades the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich. To mark the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Switzerland, a new exhibition sheds light on the differences between Japanese and Western poster art, revealing the balancing act between cherry blossoms and asceticism.
Japan boasts a unique and fascinating poster tradition. These images, with their poetic sensuali- ty, mystical messages, and glowing colors, captivate the Western eye, enthralling viewers with their bold provocation and refusal to obey the usual rules of visual communication. As a highly aesthetic indoor medium that is dedicated not so much to selling products as to conveying so- cial, political, and cultural messages, the Japanese poster today serves a different purpose than those in Western societies. It attempts to offer a brief moment of beauty to the rushed gaze of passers-by and to touch them emotionally. This also applies to posters commissioned by com- mercial enterprises. As a result, the Japanese poster obeys more strongly the conditions of the art market, which in every period brings new key figures to the fore. Many young design-school graduates try by contrast to make a name for themselves with posters created on their own initi- ative for exhibitions and festivals—products located somewhere between fine art and poster.
DRAFT CO. LTD., UNE NANA COOL, POSTER, 2002, MUSEUM FÜR GESTALTUNG ZÜRICH, POSTER COLLECTION
SHIN MATSUNAGA/KATSUMI YAMADA, SEASON, PHOTO: YOJIRO ADACHI, POSTER, 1988, MUSEUM FÜR GESTALTUNG ZÜRICH, POSTER COLLECTION
IKKO TANAKA, THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF SHARAKU, POSTER, 1995, MUSEUM FÜR GESTALTUNG ZÜRICH, POSTER COLLECTION