Building on her family background in woodblock printing, artist Ayomi Yoshida has focused recently on large-scale installations that incorporate prints to achieve dramatic transformations of space. These total environments invite the public to engage with her investigations of time, life cycles in nature, sensory memory, and nostalgia.
Yoshida’s understanding of Yoshio Taniguchi’s architectural practice uniquely situates her to respond to his design of Asia Society Texas Center. This exhibition in the Fayez Sarofim Grand Hall will specifically reference the Water Garden and the recurring connections between interior and exterior spaces, both in our building and classical Japanese architectural traditions.
Admission to this exhibition is free.
Hours
Tuesday - Friday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Closed Mondays and major holidays
Asia Society Texas Center will be closed Thursday, November 22, 2018. We will resume our regular hours Friday, November 23.
Photography
Photography of the exhibition without flash is permitted.
Ayomi Yoshida (吉田 亜世美 YOSHIDA Ayomi, born 1958) is an artist currently living and working in Tokyo, Japan. She is renowned for her large scale installations that incorporate woodblock prints, video, sound, and sculpture. Her early practice focused on the woodblock printing tradition that her family is known for, including her grandfather, revered printmaker Hiroshi Yoshida, and her parents Hodaka and Chizuko Yoshida. Ayomi belongs to the third generation of woman artists in her family which is rare in Japan, following her mother Chizuko, and her grandmother Fujio Yoshida.
After graduating from Wako University, she has transformed the use of woodblock prints as primary materials in installations. Her work has been exhibited at the British Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and in other venues including international print biennials. One of her largest ongoing commissions has been for the headquarters of Target Corporation, Minneapolis, MN.
About Asia Society Texas Center
With 13 locations throughout the world, Asia Society is the leading educational organization promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among the peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the west. Asia Society Texas Center executes the global mission with a local focus, enriching and engaging the vast diversity of Houston through innovative, relevant programs in arts and culture, business and policy, education, and community outreach. Visit us at AsiaSociety.org/Texas.
HOUSTON, July 24, 2018 — Japanese artist Ayomi Yoshida will make her Texas debut on July 28 in an exhibition she designed specifically for Asia Society Texas Center (ASTC).
The large-scale installation will focus on Yoshida’s investigations of time, life cycles in nature, and sensory memory. It is being assembled over a two-week period by a 40-member team from Japan and the U.S., including students from four universities in Japan as well as local students from Rice University, University of Houston, and the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
The exhibition will feature video projections, vinyl applications on glass, hand-carved and painted wall installations, and a scrim stretching across a portion of the Center’s Fayez Sarofim Grand Hall, complemented by intricate silkscreen-printed paper suspensions hung from the vaulted ceiling. The installation will evoke a pool with flowers falling into it from above, and is an indoor corollary to the Center’s Elkins Foundation Water Garden, which had a direct influence on Yoshida’s creation. Inspired by ASTC’s award-winning architecture by acclaimed Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi, the exhibition will extend into the North Gallery and will invite Houstonians to explore the entire first floor of the museum and the Water Garden.
“As a former architecture student, Yoshida has an exceptional understanding of Yoshio Taniguchi’s architectural practice, which uniquely situates her to respond to his design of our facility,” says Bridget Bray, the Center’s Nancy C. Allen Curator and Director of Exhibitions.
As the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey approaches, the installation also explores the theme of water as both a source of life and a source of destruction, both in Houston (Hurricanes Harvey and Ike) and in Japan (the recent flooding and the 2011 tsunami).
Yoshida is the granddaughter of renowned painter and woodblock printer Hiroshi Yoshida, widely considered a master of the shin-hanga style. He, along with her grandmother Fujio, father Hodaka, and mother Chizuko are part of a dynastic artistic family reaching back to the 1800’s, making Ayomi Yoshida a rarity: a third-generation female artist in a male-dominated field.
“Yoshida is expanding her family’s legacy by branching out from traditional woodblock printing into large-scale three-dimensional installations that incorporate prints to achieve dramatic transformations of space,” says Bray.
Yoshida’s work has been featured globally, including in exhibitions at the British Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Asian Art Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Her works are held in the permanent collections of institutions such as the Freer|Sackler, British Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, Art Institute of Chicago, and the Portland Art Museum.
Fast Facts
- Exhibition dates: Saturday, July 28, 2018 – Sunday, January 13, 2019
- Admission: Free and open to the public
- Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Related Programs
- Opening Reception: Thursday, July 26, 6 – 8 p.m. | Free to the public; RSVP requested
- Artist Talk: Saturday, July 28, 2 p.m. | Free for Members, $7 for Nonmembers
Exhibitions at Asia Society Texas Center are presented by Wells Fargo. The Japan Series is presented by Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas). Major support also comes from Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, Nancy C. Allen, and Leslie and Brad Bucher, as well as The Brown Foundation, Inc., Houston Endowment, and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. Generous funding also provided by The Clayton Fund, Texas Commission on the Arts, Wortham Foundation, Inc., The Franci Neely Foundation, Olive Jenney, Nanako and Dale Tingleaf, and Ann Wales. Additional support given by The Japan Foundation. Funding is also provided through contributions from the Friends of Asia Society, a premier group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional visual art to Asia Society Texas Center.
Reception Celebrating Ayomi Yoshida Exhibition
Thursday, July 26, 6-8 p.m.
Visit with the artist over drinks and light bites, and receive a preview of the exhibition. Free to the public.
Artist Talk: Ayomi Yoshida
Saturday, July 28, 2018, 2 p.m.
Join the artist as she discusses her new works in the Fayez Sarofim Grand Hall exhibition. Free for Members, $7 Nonmembers.
Monthly Tours
To schedule a group tour outside of these designated days, please fill out the form below or contact Jennifer Kapral, Director of Education & Outreach, at [email protected].
School Tours
School tours, facilitated by the education department staff and volunteers, provide educationally rich interactive opportunities for students to learn about Asian art, culture, and traditions. These free tours are open to all public, private, charter, alternative, and home schools. Visits take place on weekdays, Tuesday through Friday, for one to two hours.
All school tours and subsequent interactive projects are tethered to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and district curriculum standards. They may include:
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Docent-led tour of exhibitions in the Louisa Stude Sarofim Gallery
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"Introduction to Asia” PowerPoint Presentation highlighting essential information about Asian art, culture, geography, and politics
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Guided tour of the Texas Center and discussion of its unique architecture
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Interactive projects based on the current exhibition (unavailable during summer months, June through August)
At least two weeks’ notice is required for school tours. Additional advance notice is required for groups larger than 25.
For more information, please contact Jennifer Kapral, Director of Education & Outreach, at [email protected].
This exhibition is organized by Asia Society Texas Center.
Exhibitions at Asia Society Texas Center are presented by Wells Fargo. The Japan Series is presented by Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas). Major support also comes from Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, Nancy C. Allen, and Leslie and Brad Bucher, as well as The Brown Foundation, Inc., Houston Endowment, and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. Generous funding also provided by The Clayton Fund, Texas Commission on the Arts, Wortham Foundation, Inc., The Franci Neely Foundation, Olive Jenney, Nanako and Dale Tingleaf, and Ann Wales. Additional support given by The Japan Foundation. Funding is also provided through contributions from the Friends of Asia Society, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional visual art to Asia Society Texas Center.
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Japan Series Presenting Sponsor
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