Everyday Things and Posters
In conjunction with our special exhibition MINGEI: The Beauty of Everyday Things (Period: July 13, 2024 – September 23, 2024), we are pleased to showcase posters that highlight items essential in our lives—clothing, food, and housing—from both past and present.
These posters feature a variety of objects, including utensils, tools, sweets, beverages, cosmetics, kimonos, shoes, furniture, and more. Some posters spotlight these items as the main focus, similar to product advertisements, while others use them as subtle elements to enhance the background. For instance, in Tadashi Ohashi's "Meiji Milk Chocolate," the side of a retro tram is creatively depicted as a chocolate bar. The familiar chocolate-colored background with gold lettering are reminiscent of the wooden trams of the Meiji era, bringing a nostalgic touch of modernization (or perhaps the scent of chocolate?). In Katumi Asaba's "Delicious Life," the furniture and decor in the background symbolically represent Japanese life and culture. Standing before these posters, viewers can sense the passage of time and share a collective image of Japanese identity and tradition, which they might wish to pass on to the future.
We invite you to explore how everyday items are portrayed as motifs in these posters, interpreted through the creative eyes and ideas of various artists. We have also updated our chair collection, so please take a look at them too.