Contemporary Japanese artists exhibit in San José

A new generation of Japanese artists blends technology with traditional and ecological elements from Japanese culture in an exhibit titled “Pasaje al Futuro” (“Passage to the Future”) at the Contemporary Art and Design Museum in San José.

“The passage to the future does not follow a straight line like history; on the contrary, it is full of detours that allow a back and forth between the past and the future,” Tomoya Yamaguchi, cultural attaché with the Japanese Embassy in Costa Rica, said in a press release from the Culture Ministry.

The exhibit, which opened Sept. 22, features 42 works – paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs and videos – by 11 young Japanese artists, and includes an installation in the shape of a koi and a tapestry of soaps sealed in plastic.

The exhibit also features a collection of 33 photographs related to the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated the Tohoku region of Japan. Entitled “Kizuna,” the collection by Japanese wire service Jiji Press shows the humanitarian side of the Japanese people in the face of catastrophe, and also offers thanks to Costa Rica for its solidarity and friendship during the tragedy.

“The objective of this exhibit is to give thanks to [Costa Rica] for the solidarity and ties of friendship created during the tragedy, so it is a unique exhibit here,” Yamaguchi said in the Culture Ministry press release.

“Passage to the Future” is on display through Oct. 31 at the Contemporary Art and Design Museum in the National Culture Center (CENAC) at Avenida 3, Calle 15. The museum is open 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Admission is $3 for foreigners, ₡700 for Costa Ricans and residents, ₡500 for students with ID and free for children and seniors. Admission is free for everyone on Mondays. For information, call the museum at 2257-7202 or 2257-9370, or visit www.madc.cr.