Ukiyo-E: Responding to Tradition

Ukiyo-E: Responding to Tradition

Ukiyo-e: Responding to Tradition brings together Japanese woodblock prints from Latrobe Regional Gallery’s collection with a contemporary response by Japanese artist TWOONE. Featuring works from the Allan Aldous Collection, gifted by Mrs Ngaire Johansen in 2000, the exhibition explores the beauty, drama and visual richness of ukiyo-e, one of Japan’s most celebrated print traditions.

From the 17th century onwards, woodblock prints flourished in Japan as a vibrant and widely accessible art form. During the Edo period, they pictured famous places, celebrated actors, legendary figures and changing ideals of beauty for a broad audience. These works were both art objects and part of everyday visual life, reflecting a culture shaped by storytelling, performance, style and place.

Spanning heroic scenes, theatrical portraits, landscapes and elegant figures, Ukiyo-e: Responding to Tradition offers a glimpse into the visual world of Edo-period Japan while considering the ongoing power of print as a medium. TWOONE’s commissioned response brings this history into the present, creating a dialogue between historical Japanese print culture and contemporary artistic practice. TWOONE has spent time in Latrobe City and is weaving the local flora and fauna into his grand mural response to the collection. Known for working across painting, sculpture, installation, printmaking, performance and public art, TWOONE’s practice is grounded in research, movement, place and community. His response extends the exhibition’s focus on image-making, memory and connection across time

Image Description: Japanese coloured woodblock print (triptych) depicting warrior Yoshitune jumping from a boat amidst waves at the battle of Dan-no-ura 1185.
Ichiyûsai, Kuniyoshi, Yoshitune’s Leap, woodblock print on paper, 36.1 x 24.8cm. Latrobe Regional Gallery, Allan Aldous Collection, gift of Mrs Ngaire Johansen, 2000.