CHENNAI: If there is one work of Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai that even a neophyte to art could recognise, it would be ‘The Great Wave’ or ‘Kanagawa oki namiura’. In fact, it’s what most of us associate with the artist. But the ukiyo-e creative has an expansive collection to admire, some of which are carefully created currently at Lalit Kala Akademi in the form of the exhibition ‘Manga Hokusai Manga:
Approaching the Master’s Compendium From the Perspective of Contemporary Comics’. The display is organised by the Consulate-General of Japan in Chennai (The Japan Foundation) and ABK-AOTS Dosakai, Tamilnadu Centre, and is one of the many events planned in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Japan-India diplomatic relations. On Saturday, Taga Masayuki, consul-general of Japan; G Chandramohan, president of ABK-AOTS Dosokai; Koizumi Nami, violinist; Taga Sakura, Irish harpist; and Sovan Kumar, regional secretary of Lalit Kala Akademi inaugurated the worldwide travelling exhibition.
On display
Featuring the works of Hokusai and other artists from varied periods, the exhibit is a must-see for manga and art aficionados. Not only does it feature imagery from the 15 volumes of Hokusai Manga (his most popular collection of printed sample drawings published some 200 years ago, block printed in black, gray and pale flesh), but also portrayals of the artist himself in manga, finer details of the images, as well as contemporary work especially created for the exhibition by seven artists: Ichikawa Haruko, Igarashi Daisuke, Kyo Machiko, Nishijima Daisuke, Okadaya Tetuzoh, Shiriagari Kotobuki and Yokoyama Yuichi.
“What is unique about today’s exhibit is that it compares the historic manga with contemporary ones,” the consul general said, adding (to CE), “I have also seen the exhibition for the first time today and I am impressed. Hokusai is famous; he painted beautiful ladies and mountains but he also made this kind of manga. Today’s manga producers know of Hokusai so there is a kind of dialogue between these painters in the past and today’s manga creators who are influenced by them.” But how much did Hokusai really influence the manga of today? The exhibition, in fact, urges the viewer to create their own notions about manga by exploring various periods and artists.
The inauguration was followed by mesmerising performances of Japanese traditional and pop music by the duo ‘Sakura Namiki’, composed of Koizumi and Taga. With the soft plucks of the harp and the rich resonance of the violin, the duo also played originals written by Taga and a crowd-pleasing Studio Ghibli medley. “(Koizumi and Taga) take the violin and harp to remote schools in Japan who often lack access to the instruments. They also visited retirement homes during the pandemic,” informed Inoue Miyuki of the Consulate-General of Japan.
The rise of manga
In the past few years, Japanese manga (and anime) has enjoyed soaring popularity across countries, including India. Even shelves in Chennai have been increasingly stacked with volumes of My Hero Academia, Death Note, Tokyo Ghoul and several other well-known manga. “When I was young, manga (the cartoons or comics) were largely enjoyed by children.
But today, there are many anime and comics that have been created for older people. This is the reason that manga and animation has become so popular. I’m happy that we could introduce Japanese manga here. Of course, we have traditional art but we can also present our culture through manga,” said the consul-general to CE.
But this is only one of many events planned by The Japan Foundation to celebrate their anniversary. Chennaiites can look forward to the upcoming Japan Expo that will showcase various aspects of Japanese culture from performing arts to varied exhibits in November.
The exhibition is available at Lalit Kala Akademi, Greams Road, Thousand Lights till October 28 (except October 24), between 11 am and 7 pm. Entry is free and open for all.