About the Exhibition
From Tokyo to New York: Fifty Years of Prints and Collages
Focusing on prints and collages, this exhibition looks back on the distinctive and richly creative worlds of Ansei and Toshiko Uchima. For Toshiko, it is the first exhibition to trace the full arc of her career, from her early work to her later years.
The exhibition reexamines the achievements of both artists, who, amid the upheavals of the postwar era, devoted themselves not only to their own artistic practices but also to building networks among artists and cultural figures in Japan and the United States. Their work is presented alongside that of related artists, including Isamu Noguchi and Shiko Munakata, shedding light on a new facet of postwar art.
Born to Okinawan parents who had emigrated to the United States, Ansei Uchima (1921–2000, U.S. citizen) came to Japan in 1940 and studied architecture at Waseda University. After World War II, influenced by the sosaku hanga prints of Koshiro Onchi and others, Uchima began exploring abstract expression through woodblock printmaking.
After returning to the United States, he continued to work from his base in New York. In the late 1970s, he developed a technique he called “color-field weaving,” based on ukiyo-e printmaking methods. He gained recognition for his vividly colored Forest Byobu series.
Toshiko Uchima (1918–2000, née Aohara) grew up in Dalian before moving to Kobe in 1935, where she studied painting under Ryohei Koiso. After moving to Tokyo in the early 1950s, she joined the avant-garde Democratic Artists Association (Demokrato), a group formed with Ei-Q as a central figure. During this period, she became acquainted with Sadajiro Kubo and Shuzo Takiguchi and began producing abstract oil paintings and woodblock prints.
In 1959, she moved to the United States with her husband, Ansei. In her later years, she created collages and assemblages imbued with a poetic sensibility.
The exhibition also features works by artists who had close ties with Ansei and Toshiko Uchima, including Koshiro Onchi, Shiko Munakata, Isamu Noguchi, Ei-Q, and Shigeru Izumi. Together, these works trace part of the network of artists that Ansei and Toshiko built around them.
Ansei and Toshiko Uchima were active in Japan and the United States in the postwar period, each developing a distinctive body of work—Ansei primarily in woodblock prints and Toshiko in collage. This exhibition offers a comprehensive view of their respective artistic practices. For Ansei, it is his first retrospective in approximately twelve years, following “Ansei Uchima: Symphony of Colors and Wind,” held at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum in 2014. For Toshiko, it is the first major retrospective of her work ever held. The exhibition traces the course of both artists’ careers through not only their major works but also rare examples of their early work, including oil paintings and drawings, together with a wide range of archival materials such as woodblocks and correspondence.
The exhibition also features works by contemporaries who had close ties with Ansei and Toshiko Uchima. These include prints by Koshiro Onchi, whose work inspired Ansei to pursue woodblock printmaking, and Shiko Munakata; sculptures by Isamu Noguchi, with whom the Uchima family had close ties; and works by Ei-Q, Shigeru Izumi, and other artists Toshiko came to know during her time with Demokrato. Together, these works offer a glimpse into the network of artists that Ansei and Toshiko built around them.
The exhibition catalogue will feature reproductions of works on view, along with a memoir by Anju Uchima, son of Ansei and Toshiko; an essay by postwar printmaking scholar Noriko Kuwahara; a chronology; a selected bibliography; and other materials. Drawing on the latest research and including selected texts in English translation, the catalogue will be a substantial and informative volume.
All programs are available in Japanese only.
Artist and critic Kenjiro Okazaki, who was personally acquainted with Ansei and Toshiko Uchima and has written on Ansei’s work, will speak primarily about Ansei’s activities and work.
Toshiko Uchima was active in Demokrato and the Women's Print Association (Joryu Hangakai) in the postwar period. The speakers will look back on her career as an artist while also considering the activities of other women artists of her time, each approaching the subject from their own area of expertise.
A piano concert reflecting on Ansei and Toshiko Uchima, both of whom loved music.
Seating is limited, and some attendees may be required to stand.
View details of the Museum Theater event (Japanese)Drawing on the woodblock printing techniques used by Ansei and Toshiko Uchima, participants will create multi-block, multi-color woodblock prints with artist Yuka Seki.
Sunday, December 13, 3:00 p.m.– (approximately 1 hour; sign language interpretation provided)
Related Information
The exhibition pamphlet (front cover, inside, and back cover) is available as a PDF.
Exhibition Pamphlet (PDF)The exhibition features about 200 works. Some works will be rotated during the exhibition period. The list of works is now available as a PDF.
List of Works (PDF)Four designs of original exhibition stickers are now available at the museum shop.
Price: ¥400 each (tax included) / Size: approximately 5 × 7 cm
Ansei and Toshiko Uchima: Weaving Colors and Memories Modified B5 size / 2,500 yen (tax included)
Available at the museum shop.
Texts: in Japanese and partly in English
Interested groups may view a slide show on the highlights of the exhibition (reservations required).
An online article introducing the works and careers of Ansei and Toshiko Uchima is planned in conjunction with the exhibition.
Coming SoonFirst exhibition period: October 10-November 29 / Second exhibition period: December 1-January 17
Junior high school students and younger and visitors who present a disability certificate (including one accompanying person) are admitted free of charge.
A special exhibition ticket (excluding the Gurutto Pass) also includes admission to the MOMAS Collection (1F).
3-minute walk from the West Exit of JR Kita-Urawa Station on the Keihin-Tohoku Line
TEL: 048-824-0111