Art meets history: Styrian-paravent at world exhibition in Osaka!

Art meets history: Styrian-paravent at world exhibition in Osaka!

A fascinating transcultural dialogue is created between Graz and Osaka, inspired by a historical Japanese paravent that has been found in Eggenberg Castle for centuries. This gilded treasure shows a view of the historic city of Osaka before it was severely destroyed in 1615 by a devastating fire. Marko Mele, the scientific managing director of the Universal Museum Joanneum, emphasizes that this paravent not only survived as an extraordinary work of art, but also serves as a cultural link between Japan and Styria. The artwork has been researched by experts since 2007, whereby the focus is on the remarkable meaning and the cultural value, as vienna.at

As part of the 2025 World Exhibition, Styria will present two innovative works of art that are inspired by this paravent. The artists of Studio Asynchrome, Michael Schitnig and Marleen Leitner, bring in their digital creation "Pixel Paravent. Time Travels in Clouds", which enables the viewers to explore the history and the scenes depicted. At the same time, Tom Lohner created his work "Okurimono" (Japanese for gift), which combines the current sights of Styria and thus represents a modern business card for the Region. These two art projects aim to reflect on the connections between the Kansai region in Japan and Styria in the past and future, said curator Martin Baasch. The works can be seen in the Graz Folklore Museum until March 30, before they are presented in Osaka from June 19, 2025, such as Museum-joanneum reported.