Mingei literally means ‘folkcraft’ and it refers to handcrafted objects produced by local craftsmen for everyday use. The term was established in 1925 by Soetsu Yanagi (1889 – 1961) who defined the ideology of mingei as ‘natural, sincere, safe and simple’.
This exhibition at 21_21 Design Sight, titled ‘Mingei – Another Kind of Art’, is directed by product designer Naoto Fukasawa. On display are 146 traditional and contemporary mingei items from The Japan Folk Crafts Museum's collection, curated by Fukasawa, along with his personal collection and photographs revealing new forms of mingei. This exhibition also covers the legacy of mingei that began to flourish the 1920s.