"Rising Sun. From Calligraphy to Post-Modernism in
Contemporary Japanese Art"
October 2010, Massa Marittima
In order to celebrate the recent opening of our new office in Shanghai and our expansion into the Asian markets,
Select Italy organized an exhibition dedicated to the elegant and ancient arts of Japan. The exhibition, held in
October of 2010, was the first of its kind and was a huge success.
The idea for the theme of "East meets West" was devised together with ArtCross, a Japanese cultural association
based in Tokyo, in order to foster a joint appreciation of the ancient cultures of Japan and Italy, two cultures
that are often seen as being very distinct but are nonetheless very similar in their adherence to historical
tradition. This cultural fusion brought the fascinating art and culture of Japan to charming Massa Marittima, one
of the best-preserved medieval towns in southern Tuscany.
Massa Marittima, one of Tuscany’s "best kept secrets," was the ideal setting for such a project. A delightful town
of only 6,000 inhabitants with one of the most beautiful piazzas in all of Italy, enclosed by imposing city walls
fortified by the Sienese, Massa Marittima perfectly embodies Select Italy's quest for content and authenticity in
the context of the “You & Italy” project. The exhibition received great reviews from the critics and an excellent
response from the public.
The exhibition consisted of works by more than 110 contemporary Japanese artists displayed in two venues: the Palazzo
dell'Abbondanza and the Complesso Museale di San Pietro all'Orto. Included in the show were many variations of "ink on
Japanese paper" works, oil paintings, watercolors, wood block prints and several other techniques with which the Italian
public (and Western public in general) may be less familiar. This exhibition’s intent was to open a window to the extreme
technical sophistication and deep artistic sensitivity of Japanese art, the end result of an evolutionary trajectory
that took centuries to develop and perfect. It is an example of how Japan's past is still alive and vibrant, and how it
is able to seamlessly blend with more contemporary forms of expression.
