Japan - N. Maron, A. Köhler, N. Raminhos, E. Gur, Skenar73

There is some justice in the fact that Japonism is a French word. After Japan's two hundred years of isolation from the world French collectors celebrated the arrival of colourful woodcuts and drawings from Japan that immedeately changed the spirit of contemporary art- van Gogh, Gauguin, Toulouse Lautrec. The works met with a bourgeois awareness and a love of elegance, colours and joie de vivre. Not only woodcuts from Japan were fashionable, but as well emanel, ceramics, the Japan invention of a revolving stage was enthusiastically adopted by European avant guarde theatres, Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly" was a big success as well as Japanese gardens were established everywhere. Today there is a cultural rebirth of Japonism when it comes to Manga and its colourful images (= manga) that are very present in everyday life.

While Nina Maron's  Japanese women remind us of a longlasting feminin cultural contribution in a historical background, Astrid Köhler invites the visitor to figure out Japanese elements that are hidden in her small works on hardboard or wood. Hokusai comes to his mind, as Nuno Raminos thinks about Japan and connects the well known historical woodcut motifs with Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. The result is extremely vivid. Mari Kim from South Korea who is most interested in bridgeing Asian and Western cultures, celebrates the tradition of the Japanese costume and its influence upon cultural traditions. Skenar 73's works are changeing beautifully into exotic elegance and his way of abstraction gets to the point of Japanese painterly spirit. Daniel Thurau discovers Hiroshige and his multifaceted landscape images to create his own contribution to an imaginary far Eastern world. As Giacomo Piussi is stylizing every day life while celebrating life, these works get a new shape and different energy, his way of working is just suited to a Japanese touch. Finally Japanese food should not be neglected, Ewen Gur paints sushi,bamboo and Japonese noodles, along with koys.