Katarium

The Artizon Museum invites art aficionados to immerse themselves in a vibrant space of dialogue and imagination with ‘Katarium’, an exhibition that explores art as a site of narration. The title combines the Japanese word katari (‘tell’ or ‘narrate’) with the suffix -arium, evoking a realm where stories unfold.

The exhibition seeks to reflect on the myriad conversations that surround artworks, from the artist’s private musings in the studio to the audience’s impressions before a finished piece. Through approximately 60 works spanning diverse eras and media, including two National Treasures, seven Important Cultural Properties and five Important Art Objects, ‘Katarium’ invites viewers to listen to these silent dialogues across time.

Highlights include Edo-period (1603–1868) folding screens thought to have been created for samurai lords, mythological paintings from the Meiji (1868–1912) and Taisho (1912–1926) eras, and poetic lithographs by the American social realist artist Ben Shahn. Additionally, traditional scrolls such as Zen Proverb Scroll Fragment and Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans are reassembled from fragments, allowing visitors to witness ‘reunions’ of masterpieces long separated.

From the newly restored Illustrated Tale of the Heiji Rebellion: The Tokiwamaki Scroll to the mysterious Edo Tenka Festival Screens, ‘Katarium’ offers an evocative journey through Japan’s artistic storytelling, where each work whispers, greets and remembers across the centuries.