site.btaSofia to Host Exhibition of Japanese Prints Depicting People, Flora, Fauna, Sites

The National Art Gallery and the Japanese Embassy in Sofia will unveil an exhibition on Japan's ukiyo-e prints in Bulgarian collections in Sofia's Kvadrat 500 on October 18. Prints depicting beautiful women, actors, birds, flowers and popular destinations will be on display until January 21, 2024, the organizers said.

The exhibition curated by Zlatka Dimitrova will present works offered by the National Art Gallery, the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the art galleries in Sliven, Silistra and Plovdiv. Prof. Jun'ichi Okubo of the National Museum of Japanese History and Dr Stella Zhivkova of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski served as consultants for the exhibition.

Japanese ukiyo-e prints capture the urban culture of the Edo period (1603–1868), document Japan's opening to the world during the Meiji period (1868–1912) and make their way to European markets. They influenced the development of art and culture in Europe, especially the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. These prints also generated interest in Bulgaria around the mid-20th century.

Ukiyo-e is a traditional Japanese art. Literally translated as picture[s] of the floating [transitional/earthly] world, these pictures incorporate a new meaning referring to a society devoted to pleasure and can be seen as images illustrating everyday life.