Project Consultation at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures and Lecture in the UK
The Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC), located in Norwich, the capital city of Norfolk, United Kingdom, is one of the leading centers for Japanese art and cultural studies in Europe. Since 2013, SISJAC and the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) have been engaged in a collaborative project under the framework of the “Program for the Foundation of Japanese Art Research.” Through this initiative, SISJAC provides TOBUNKEN with data on publications and exhibitions related to Japanese art conducted outside Japan, which is then made publicly accessible on the TOBUNKEN Research Collections (https://www.tobunken.go.jp/archives/?lang=en).
As part of this collaboration, researchers from the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems visit Norwich annually to engage in discussions and give presentations. In fiscal year 2024, KIKKAWA Hideki, Head of the Modern and Contemporary Art Section, and TASHIRO Yuichiro, Researcher, visited the UK from February 24 to March 2.
On February 26, Mr. KIKKAWA gave a lecture titled “Matsuzawa Yutaka and Europe: Conceptual Art Exchange” at the Japan Research Centre, SOAS University of London. The following day, he traveled to Norwich and presented another lecture, titled “Building and Utilizing Archives of Modern and Contemporary Japanese Art: Initiatives at the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties” at the Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia. Following this lecture, presentations were made by Mr. Grant Young of the University of East Anglia Library; Ms. Pat Hewitt, librarian for the Sainsbury Research Unit, responsible for collections in African, Oceanic, and American art; and Mr. HIRANO Akira, librarian of the Lisa Sainsbury Library at SISJAC. They each introduced their respective institutional activities and archival initiatives related to Japan. A lively discussion ensued among participants, moderated by Dr. Eugenia Bogdanova-Kummer, Associate Professor at SISJAC.
On February 28, a working meeting was held at SISJAC to discuss the current status and future development of the shared database project. Mr. TASHIRO, who is scheduled to return to the UK in fiscal year 2025, shared findings from his research conducted during this visit, including studies at the British Museum. He also proposed ideas for future collaboration based on his expertise in Korean and Joseon art history, including potential lecture topics and archival research directions. This prompted an active exchange of views on future collaboration.
TOBUNKEN remains committed to deepening its collaboration with SISJAC and will continue to enhance its efforts in promoting international research and dissemination of information related to Japanese art.