Writing about Japan as a freelancer.
Find some of my work at KaternJapan here.
Below you can find my publications.
Writing about Japan as a freelancer.
Find some of my work at KaternJapan here.
Below you can find my publications.
SHIN HANGA: EXHIBITION CATALOGUE AND EXHIBITION TEXTS
Contributed to the project of a travelling exhibition
in Europe in 2022-2023:
Shin Hanga. The New Prints of Japan. 1900—1960.
Co-author of exhibition catalogue, published by Ludion
(four languages: Dutch, English, French, German) .
Catalogue for the exhibition Shin Hanga: the New Prints of Japan 1900-1960, displayed in Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst Köln (March 11 - June 6, Cologne), Japanmuseum SieboldHuis (June 17 - September 11, Leiden), and Royal Museums of Art and History (October 14 - January 15, Brussels)
in Europe in 2022-2023:
Shin Hanga. The New Prints of Japan. 1900—1960.
Co-author of exhibition catalogue, published by Ludion
(four languages: Dutch, English, French, German) .
Catalogue for the exhibition Shin Hanga: the New Prints of Japan 1900-1960, displayed in Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst Köln (March 11 - June 6, Cologne), Japanmuseum SieboldHuis (June 17 - September 11, Leiden), and Royal Museums of Art and History (October 14 - January 15, Brussels)
The Riddles of Ukiyo-e: Women and Men in Japanese Prints 1765-1865
Researched and described four prints.
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Drawing on images of women and men from the heyday of Japanese printmaking, this book explores the subtle iconography and complex symbols inherent in the tradition of ukiyo-e (traditional Japanese woodblock printing meaning 'Fleeting World'). The intriguing elements refer to Japanese history, literature, mythology, fashion, folklore and gossip of the Edo period and are at times difficult to discern, let alone grasp, without proper knowledge. Divided into classic printmaking themes such as beautiful women, heroes, actors and shunga (erotic prints), this lavishly illustrated book provides readers with the keys to understanding the hidden meanings in more than 100 top Japanese prints.
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Beautiful women – including ladies from Edo's famous Yoshiwara brothel district – take up much of the book. Heroes and villains illustrate Japan's rich mythological and pseudo-historical past. The popular pastimes of kabuki and sumo are also covered: famous actors play their best-known roles as brave men or delicate geisha. These colourful masterpieces demonstrate the economy of line and powerful expression of the woodblock medium. Each print is explored in the finest detail in order to explain the many riddles of ukiyo-e – that intriguing and captivating mode of visual expression that had such a profound influence on Western art.
Academic publications
ARTICLE
Ouweleen, Philo, 'Through the photographic lens: Japanese photographers visualising the triple disaster' in Andon, no. 106 (2018), pp.41-56.
ABSTRACT:
The Tōhoku disaster of 2011 evoked a wide array of artistic response. Focusing on photography, two main bodies of work can be distinguished. One has the apocalyptic ruins of Tōhoku as its focus, creating powerful and horrific images of destruction. The other visualises the invisible; depicting the horrors of radiation caused by the nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant.
This article reflects upon the power of photography to record and interpret historic events. It also discusses ethical and aesthetic issues that arise when artists represent trauma and disaster. The work of three Japanese photographers and their visualisation of the triple disaster of 2011 - earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown - is taken as a case study: Handa Yasushi, Hatakeyama Naoya and Takeda Shimpei.
Ouweleen, Philo, 'Through the photographic lens: Japanese photographers visualising the triple disaster' in Andon, no. 106 (2018), pp.41-56.
ABSTRACT:
The Tōhoku disaster of 2011 evoked a wide array of artistic response. Focusing on photography, two main bodies of work can be distinguished. One has the apocalyptic ruins of Tōhoku as its focus, creating powerful and horrific images of destruction. The other visualises the invisible; depicting the horrors of radiation caused by the nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant.
This article reflects upon the power of photography to record and interpret historic events. It also discusses ethical and aesthetic issues that arise when artists represent trauma and disaster. The work of three Japanese photographers and their visualisation of the triple disaster of 2011 - earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown - is taken as a case study: Handa Yasushi, Hatakeyama Naoya and Takeda Shimpei.
-Book review: miyazakiworld
| Book review: Miyazakiworld |
Ouweleen, Philo, 'Book review: Miyazakiworld : A life in art' in Andon, no. 108 (2019), pp. 42-43.
In Miyazakiworld, Japanese culture and animation scholar Susan Napier takes a close look at the life and work of the award-winning animator Miyazaki Hayao (1941), co-founder of the celebrated Studio Ghibli.
You can download and read the review in high-quality below.
