Tokyo is seeing a remarkable confluence of Afro-Japanese artistic expression and thought, with three ongoing shows presenting unique dialogues between Japanese, African American and African aesthetics and culture – highlighting a significant expansion of the Japanese art world.
At the Mori Art Museum, Theaster Gates’ ‘Afro-Mingei’ combines African-American culture with Japanese folk art traditions. At the recently opened Space Un – led by Edna Dumas, of the Hermes-affiliated Dumas family – Dakar-based artist Aliou Diack’s exhibition ‘Anastomosis’ delves into the interrelationship between humans and nature, drawing parallels between Senegal and Japan. At Marubeni Gallery, ‘Wafrica: In Search of a Third Aesthetic’ by Serge Mouangue, a Cameroon-born, Paris-based artist, juxtaposes African and Japanese elements, such as kimonos, masks and sculptures, to create a new visual paradigm to create.
In “Afro-Mingei,” Chicago-based artist and academic Gates introduces his titular concept, which is heavily influenced by both his studies of Japanese ceramics since 2004 in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, and by his African-American heritage. The solo exhibition – billed as the largest ever by a black artist in Japan – ambitiously combines Japan’s mingei (literally “art of the people”) tradition with the “Black is Beautiful” movement of the United States’ civil rights era to find overlaps in aesthetics, politics, and spiritual approaches.
