#window2asia is a project of AREA Ruhr, which collects and publishes information on current and upcoming cultural events in the Rhine-Ruhr region. In our overviews, we feature exhibitions, concerts, movie screenings and workshops that are aimed towards the general public. With the summer break coming to an end, this month’s programme is filled once again with various events taking place all over the region.
Ongoing events
The Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst in Köln is currently showing the exhibition »Bizzare Schönheiten« (bizarre beauties). Consisting of a stone collection received from collector couple Gudrun and Willi Benz complemented by paintings, bronzes and porcelains, it sheds light onto the Chinese tradition of bizarrely shaped stones as decorative elements in gardens and scholars’ studios. The exhibition opened in April and will be accessible until January 2025.
Last month, the Van Der Grinten Galerie in Köln opened the art exhibition “Food, animals, organs, plants, bodies, etc, everything outside me is everywhere in the air. I breathe them in, I breathe them out” with works by Japanese artist Rikako Kawaguchi. After her first exhibition at the gallery in 2020, this iteration will display her oil paintings for the first time, in tandem with a selection of the latest drawings on paper. The exhibition can be visited until 26 October.
Upcoming events
Kicking off the month is the new movie screening series “Japanische Historienfilme (Jidageki)” (Japanese historical moves (Jidaigeki)) at the Japanisches Kulturinstitut in Cologne. Being among the most popular film genres from Japan, Jidaigeki usually tell tales of revenge and detective stories or depict the lives of famous swordsmen set in the feudal era, which was characterized by fierce power struggles between the shōgunate and the local lords of various provinces. The series will be screening from 2 to 30 September.
Following suit is a short exhibition on “Mensch und Natur in Japan” (Man and Nature in Japan) at TENRI in Cologne, featuring a soulful collection of watercolor paintings and raku ceramic sculptures by Cosimo Gottschall that capture the deep connection between man and nature in Japan in their organic forms and textures. A vernissage will be held on 5 September, while the exhibition will be open to the public on the following day.
Starting on the same day, the EKŌ-Haus in Düsseldorf will host the exhibition “Bokudō: Der Weg der Tusche” (Bokudō: The Way of the Ink). Conceived for the Mori Ōgai Memorial Center in 2019, the exhibition provides insight into the traditional production of calligraphy ink in Suzuka (Mie Prefecture) and will be open to visitors until 2 November.
Back in Cologne, the Japanisches Kulturinstitut will open their exhibition “Japaner im Revier” (The Japanese in the Coal mining district), shedding light onto the lives of the Japanese workers employed in coal mining in the Ruhr area in the 1950s and 60s. From 6 to 26 September, photos of a miner at the time and tools on loan from the archive of the “Initiativkreis Bergwerk Consolidation” in Gelsenkirchen will be on display, as well as other relevant material from various sources.
On 7 September, the Konfuzius-Institut Metropole Ruhr hosts the workshop “Das Mondfest” (the Moon Festival) in Duisburg. This workshop is part of an ongoing series the Confucius Institute team offers for children aged 6–12 once a month. There will be the opportunity to try different types of moon cakes together, which are a must for the Moon Festival.
The Volkshochschule Mönchengladbach is expanding its previously held film festival into the Japan Culture Festival “Japan in MG”. Taking place on 7 and 8 September, movie screenings, a taiko performance, manga, haiku, shodō and ikebana workshops are set to be part of the festival’s programme.
On 11 September, Dr. Johannes Balve will read from his book “Kirschblüte in Fukushima” (Cherry Blossoms in Fukushima) with musical accompaniment by jazz pianist Oliver Leue at the Haus der Evangelischen Kirche in Bonn. The event is organized by the Deutsch-Japanische Gesellschaft Bonn e. V.
The following Saturday, 14 September, will see events hosted in three different cities: In Düsseldorf, the EKŌ-Haus opens its doors to celebrate its traditional Garden Festival with several food stalls and two exhibitions on calligraphy and ikebana. In Cologne, TENRI celebrates the full moon festival “Otsukimi” with a tea ceremony and dango tastings. And in Duisburg, the Konfuzius-Institut Metropole Ruhr invites interested parties to the Chinese Garden inside Duisburg Zoo to drink tea, watch martial arts performances and to participate in several workshops stands.
From 16 to 19 September, the German-Japanese Society of Siegburg is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary by hosting a commemorative event lasting several days at the Siegburg City Museum. Included in the festivities are a Taiko concert, several cultural workshops introducing Japanese traditions such as Ikebana, tea ceremony and kimono, a film screening and a gala concert.
Approaching the Manga Day held throughout Germany this month, from 16 to 21 September the Manga Week Bochum will take place in the city’s center. Under the patronage of the local Mayersche bookstore, a wide variety of events and offers from the bookstore and its partners await manga-loving visitors throughout the week.
In Düsseldorf, the Hetjens Keramikmuseum will host the studio exhibition “Geheimnisse der Mongolei – Keramik aus dem Herz Zentralasiens” (Secrets of Mongolia – Ceramics from the Heart of Central Asia), dedicated to Mongolian ceramic culture from the 13th to the 21st century. The exhibition opens on 19 September and can be visited until 17 November.
Moving back to Bochum, the Koreanische Schule Bochum e. V. is inviting interested parties to visit their Chuseok thanksgiving festival on 20 September at the facilities of the Melanchton daycare center. There will be delicious Korean food and lots of great activities: Lantern making, calligraphy, playing instruments, Hanbok try-on and a book flea market!
20 September also marks the beginning of the exhibition “Ichigo ichie” at TENRI in Cologne. Hailing from the Zen Buddhism-inspired tea ceremony and literally meaning “a moment is a meeting”, Cologne-based artists Fabian Hochscheid and Götz Sambale embody this title in their artworks. They question the nature of things and materials, which convey creation, change and decay without lecturing or provoking.
The month is rounded off by two concerts in Cologne: On 27 September, the regions of Anatolia (Turkey) and Yamato (Japan) meet under the title “Von Yamato nach Anatolien” (From Yamato to Anatolia) at the Japanisches Kulturinstitut, with the Turkish pianist & composer Çiğdem Borucu and the Japanese koto player Suetomi Atsuko taking us on a musical journey that crosses continents and millennia. On 28 September, TENRI is organizing a concert with traditional Japanese instruments: Koto, Shakuhachi, Shō and Ryūteki. It is dedicated to Heinz-Dieter Reese (1952–2024), a musicologist, Japanologist and cultural advisor at the Japanese Cultural Institute in Cologne, who introduced many aspects of traditional Japanese culture to Germany.
If you want to find more information on the events listed above or take a look at more upcoming and past events, visit the #window2asia page. While we strive to include as many cultural events related to East Asia that take place in the Rhine Ruhr area as possible, our work does not claim to be exhaustive. If you know of an event that fits the criteria but is not yet included in our overview, please feel free to reach out to us at window2asia@area-ruhr.de.