The Hawaii Japan Center in Hilo is preparing its special gallery for a Japan Foundation exhibition featuring the art of Japanese comics or manga.
The center will display the exhibition, “Manga Hokusai Manga: An Approach to the Master’s Compendium from the Perspective of Contemporary Comics,” which features seven Japanese artists.
The exhibition is part of the foundation’s arts and culture exchange program, which takes Japanese art around the world.
The first volume of the Hokusai Manga was released over 200 years ago and still captivates audiences with rich visual expressions created by Katsushika Hokusai and other artists of the time.
The exhibition features works by contemporary manga artists based on the theme of Hokusai’s manga and presents the similarities and differences with modern Japanese manga.
Volunteers have been working to put together the exhibit, which will include some interactive parts with instructions written in Japanese.
“We are excited to have something different from the Japan Foundation for the public,” said Arnold Hiura, Executive Director of the Japan Center of Hawaii. “There are various artists and beautiful work to see. I think people of all ages will be interested.”
The Japanese Consulate General in Honolulu is collaborating with the center to set up the exhibit, which will be free when it opens this week.
The Japan Foundation in a press release said it hopes that through this exhibition, viewers will be able to experience the special pleasures of manga in different ways, as the art form has been seen as mere entertainment in recent years.
The exhibit will be open for one month from 11 am to 3 pm Wednesday through Saturday, beginning on Wednesday, June 7 and ending on Saturday, July 8.
The center will provide reading material from the foundation to help guide viewers through the exhibit.
The gift shop will feature manga-inspired specials during the expo, including Wholesale Unlimited’s Manga Mix, Fujiya Hawaii’s Manga Manju Assortment, which can be picked up on June 17, and Takenoko Sushi’s Takenoko Bento by Kai, with pickup. at 11:30 a.m. on June 17.
While the gallery will be open for free, those interested in touring the museum’s permanent gallery will need to pay the regular admission price of $10, or $5 for seniors and students.
“Seeds of Local: Japanese Americans in Multicultural Hawaii” takes visitors back in time by displaying artifacts, stories, and photographs drawn from the center’s collections to tell the story of the Japanese in Hawaii, from immigration during the plantations to date.
For more information, email the Japan Hawaii Center at [email protected] or call (808) 934-9611.
Email Kelsey Walling at [email protected].
