#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. This month, several new exhibitions on East Asian culture will open to the public across the Rhine Ruhr area, adding to an already wide palette of ongoing exhibitions that have opened previously.
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.
In August, 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.
Since the beginning of the past month, the EKŌ-Haus in Düsseldorf is hosting 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.
In Düsseldorf, the Hetjens Keramikmuseum is displaying 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 opened on 19 September and can be visited until 17 November.
Finally, the exhibition “Ichigo ichie” at TENRI in Cologne has been open to the public since 20 September. 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 exhibition remains open to visitors until 19 October.
Upcoming events
Just before the start of the month, the photo exhibition “Motor der Moderne: Bildung in Taiwan 1900–1950” (Engine of modernity: Education in Taiwan 1900-1950) reigned in visitors with a vernissage on 30 September. Using photos from two archival collections, the exhibition documents snapshots of educational initiatives in elementary, middle and higher schools as well as in vocational training in Taiwan between 1900 and 1950. The photographs are on display at the university library of Ruhr University Bochum until 15 November.
On 1 October, the EKŌ-Haus in Düsseldorf invites visitors to a public guided tour of the temple garden and the Buddhist temple. Both the gardens and the Japanese house demand a sense of mindfulness and quiet contemplation from the visitor. Prior registration is required.
Under the slogan “An Encounter between Traditional Rhythms and K-Pop”, the Bonn Branch Office of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea invites interested parties to visit the 2024 Korea Day on 4 October. Visitors can look forward to a diverse program that offers the perfect opportunity to experience both ancient and modern Korea. The event is free of charge, but prior registration is kindly requested.
The same day also marks the starting point of the latest exhibition at the Japanisches Kulturinstitut in Cologne: Titled “Manga Hokusai Manga”, the exhibition explores the famous Hokusai manga sketchbooks of ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) from the perspective of contemporary Japanese comics, shedding new light on their influence over the development of manga as an art form.
On 5 October, the Konfuzius-Institut Metropole Ruhr hosts the workshop “Wuhan” in Duisburg. This workshop is part of an ongoing series the Confucius Institute team offers for children aged 6–12 once a month. Highlighting the city partnership between Duisburg and Wuhan, participants are invited to learn about the famous Crane Pagoda in Wuhan and make friendship bracelets.
The movie screening series “Manga auf der Kinoleinwand” (Manga on the big screen) at the Japanisches Kulturinstitut in Cologne kicks off on 7 October. To accompany the exhibition “Manga Hokusai Manga”, until 31 October the Institute is presenting five different live-action movies and one anime based on manga.
A short exhibition titled “Der Glanz der Seide” (The Sheen of Silk) will be on display at TENRI in Cologne from 9 to 13 October. The only German master of traditional Japanese embroidery, Beate Pietzsch, will be presenting an exhibition of her fine embroidery works during her course. Some of her students’ works of art will also be shown.
Another exhibition will open with a vernissage on 10 October: The Keramion in Frechen will be host to the exhibition “Traditionen aus Japan: Keramikkunst aus Bizen und Mushiake” (Traditions from Japan: ceramic art from Bizen and Mushiake), showcasing Bizen’s most important contemporary ceramic artists. Japanese bizen pottery, bizen-yaki, has been produced in Okayama Prefecture for over 1000 years and was one of the six historical centers of ceramic production in Japan.
On 12 October, TENRI in Cologne invites to its 5th recurring concert, starring composer and pianist Tempei with his new album “Odyssey”. After the start of the war in Ukraine, the visiting professor at the Osaka University of Arts gave charity concerts there. His new album “Odyssey” was born out of these experiences.
The following day, Cologne will see its first iteration of the Japanmarkt event. The Japanmarkt has been a staple event of Japanese culture in Germany, being hosted in Munich since 2013 and additionally in Berlin since 2018. Visitors can look forward to culinary delights, art, culture, design, fashion, music and lifestyle from the Land of the Rising Sun. Advance ticket purchase is required.
On 18 October, the Konfuzius-Institut Bonn will screen the movie “Die wandernde Erde II” (The Wandering Earth II). Based on a short story by the famous Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin, the adaptation centers around the coming apocalypse of the sun’s rapid expansion. Gigantic rocket engines are constructed to propel the planet away from the sun – but the journey across the universe is more than dangerous.
With violinist Christian Tetzlaff, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra from Tokyo is making its first guest appearance in Mülheim on 20 October. Besides pieces by Brahms and Tchaikovsky, the evening’s programme includes “Dance of the Seven Veils” from the ballet “Salome” by Akira Ifukube as well as film scores by Tōru Takemitsu.
Closing out the month is the start of yet another exhibition: From 25 October, the Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst in Cologne will present the cabinet exhibition “Streifzüge” (Explorations) on the first joint study trip of the later museum founders Frieda and Adolf Fischer. The exhibition on Adolf Fischer’s travel diaries kept in the museum is dedicated to their stays in Japan and Taiwan (“Formosa”) between 1897 and 1899. Objects from the museum’s own collection and items on loan from the Ethnological Museum Berlin are on display.
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.