Cool Japan is back: now at Tropenmuseum

After the successful run of the exhibition Cool Japan at Museum Volkenkunde last year, it was decided to give it a sequel. The exhibition is now revamped and at a new location: Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam. For those who visited the exhibition last year, there are a few new things added that might make it interesting to visit the exhibition again.

New additions

New is the kawaii installation by Sebastian Masuda, who is now on show in the Netherlands for the first time after showing in Tokyo and New York. Sebastian Masuda spent last year at the NDSM shipyard in Amsterdam as Artist-in-Residence and gave various workshops there and presented his installation Escape from Anonymous(e). Last year there was already a photo corner at the Cool Japan exhibition, where one could make a photo surrounded by the colourful creation of Sebastian Masuda.

This year the installation Colorful Rebellion – Seventh Nightmare can be seen during Cool Japan. This is a colourful room with an empty white bed. The walls are covered with the well-known unconventional materials as we are used to from Masuda, namely plastic toys, stuffed animals, ribbons and faux fur. The artwork is an illustration of Masuda’s complex experience and at the same time a portrait of the Harajuku district, the cradle of kawaii.

Furthermore, a new theme has been added to the exhibition, namely Lust object. It is a discussion that is often brought to the surface via the internet: sexy or sexist? Manga, anime and games cover all possible topics from the real, but also from the imagination, because drawn images offer a lot of space for sexual images and fantasies. In many cases, female characters are shown as lust objects. Examples will be shown at the exhibition.

Cool Japan Weekend

On 13 and 14 October there will be a Cool Japan weekend, where you can enjoy everything that comes from Japan and is cool. It is also possible to follow various workshops, to listen to the adventures of Momotaro, and to photograph you in the installation of Sebastian Masuda.

More information

The Tropenmuseum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. The entrance fee for adults is € 15.00, but if you are a student or CJP cardholder, you have to pay less.

Source: Tropenmuseum