In the late Edo (1853 – 1867) and early Meiji period (1868 – 1912) the art of Japanese woodblock printmaking, similar to later press photography, served as a documentation of current political events.

Among all the animals that still exist today, and which are the subject of human imagination, the bat occupies a peculiar position. It probably owes this primarily to the fact that, although it is a mammal, it can fly like a bird; secondly, that its appearance is tied to twilight and night time.

On the occasion of this year’s düsseldorf photo+, basedonart gallery is dedicating a solo exhibition to the Japanese artist Hiroh Kikai. Born in 1945, Kikai has carried out an ongoing series of portraits in the Asakusa district of Tokyo since the 1970s.

There is more to an object than meets the eye. This is a claim central to Jane Bennett’s theory of vital materialism. In her essay “The Force of Things”, the American political theorist and philosopher explores the subject-object relationship as a way of enlivening the debate over what materiality is and does.

Japan-born artist Shigeko Kubota (1937-2015) is a pioneer of video art. Her work is characterized by great emotional depth and poetic acumen. Coming from a family of Japanese monks and temple guards, she studied sculpture at Tokyo University of Education, where she received her diploma in 1960.

Anna Friedel is traveling time and space. In her work, pop culture and art historical research spirit meet. In the various genres of art Friedel looks for connections and flaws alike. Her ingredients are diverse light, wax, plastic, sand and canvas are among her materials. The choice of her colors is pop.

Lee Nevo and Yoshitoshi never met. More than 100 years of history, different genders and different cultures separate the two. Nevertheless, Lee Nevo (born in Jerusalem in 1984) and Yoshitoshi (born in Edo in 1839) share the aptitude to transform the conflicts and threats around them into a language of art.

Sadaharu Horio, born in Kobe in 1939, has been the youngest member of the avant-garde group Gutai since 1966. With their experimental works in the context of Action Painting and Happening, the Gutai artists have influenced not only the art of Japan, but also the art of the West.