Location: Asia Society, New York
Date: February 2016
Curator: Adriana Proser
Graphic Design Services Provided: Environmental Graphics, Didactic Panels, Object Labels
Speaking honestly to the materials used to create the majority of the works in this exhibition was an idea that came to us almost immediately.
This period in Japanese art saw an emphasis in realism in the figurative sculptures that were exhibited. Wood was beginning to be used in ways previously seen in the construction of the famed terracotta warriors in China. To celebrate this new approach in Kamakura period sculpture, Artist & Title focused the use of wood to create the environmental graphics, including title and section panels. However, instead of using the same species of wood from the period we deployed riff cut white oak panels with black edge banding to create a floating effect. The use of this specific species and cut of wood allowed the graphic panels to not only speak to the works in the show but also work in harmony with the existing architecture and material pallet present in the galleries.
Other design responsibilities included the design of subsection panels, photo reproductions, typesetting and the composition of all didactic collateral.