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Kabuki Legends: Part Two
16 February 2024 to 23 February 2025
About Kabuki Legends: Part Two
Stencil Prints by Takahashi Hiromitsu
Japanese artist Takahashi Hiromitsu creates dynamic, colourful prints showing exciting moments in kabuki, a traditional form of dance-drama. This is the second show in a two-part exhibition of his works in Gallery 29.
Hiromitsu’s striking designs are not portraits of actual actors, but visualisations of famous kabuki roles.
In kabuki, performers wearing elaborate costumes and make-up use stylised movement and song to enact melodramatic stories about love, loyalty and the clash between duty and emotion.
The works recall Japan’s traditional ukiyo-e woodblock actor prints, but are made using a different technique – kappazuri, or stencil printing, originally used for dyeing kimono. This process is complex and labour-intensive, and Hiromitsu is one of very few artists working in this way today.
This exhibition showcases a second selection of these unusual prints from the Ashmolean’s own extensive collection of Hiromitsu’s work, generously presented by Philip Harris.
Tickets
Booking information
Prices:
Admission is FREE
Date and times:
From 16 February 2024 to 23 February 2025
The museum is open every day from 10.00am to 5.00pm
Location:
Gallery 29
Watch the Kabuki Legends: Part One video
