The 68th CWAJ Print Show took place 15-19 October. We would like to express our deep gratitude to all of our hardworking, dedicated committee members for their many months of hard work in the lead-up to the Print Show. Once again, we can be proud that we were able to display so many talented artists, while also supporting our scholarship recipients. Thank you also to all members who turned out to support the show, to those who volunteered to help during the event, and to those who purchased prints and products, and spread the word amongst their community!
The opening night reception was great fun, and we had a mixture of esteemed dignitaries, our selection advisors and artists, along with our many supporters. We were able to get to know new supporters and many people bought works as well. There were 3 awards given at the opening night reception: the Young Printmaker Award went to KOBAYASHI Kanta , the Loro Pian Woman Artist Award to FENG Yi, and the PS Committee Award to SAITO Kaori. We were proud to have two of our international scholarship recipients from Kenya and Mexico. In total, we had about 180 guests, in addition to all of our Print Show Committee Members that acted as hosts – numbering nearly 250 persons in total!
Members (along with friends, family and artists) enjoyed a social gathering at Club Hillside Salon in Daikanyama on the second afternoon of the Print Show. We were honored to have special guest and speaker Malene Wagner, Danish art historian specializing in Japanese printmaking.
The Special Exhibition this year was themed “Amazing Fuji!,” celebrating Japan’s beloved spiritual symbol. Presented at both the Frederick Harris Gallery of the Tokyo American Club and the Daikanyama venue, the show featured works by six renowned artists from past and present, each offering a unique vision of Mt. Fuji. In addition, the Legacy Artists Exhibition presents rare prints incorporating calligraphy by SHINODA Toko and AKIYAMA Iwao, and many of these works had sold out by the end of the first day.
There were several events and gallery talks during the week, including a talk by Ms. Wagner on Japonisme in Denmark, a gallery talk by the sons of Akiyama Iwao and a silkscreen demonstration with Hidemi Momma.
Although the exhibition has ended, the work of committee members continues, as we tally sales, receive and ship customer orders, and respond to online queries. We look forward to sharing the results with you in next month’s eNews, as well as photo highlights of the event.
Finally, while online print sales have closed, this year’s exhibition is still able to be viewed at The Print Show Online Gallery, along with countless artist videos, interviews and studio tours, as well as the 2025 Guided Tour booklets. It’s a fantastic resource for anyone interested in learning more about contemporary Japanese printmaking. Please visit https://cwaj-gallery.jp/, and share the link with family, friends and colleagues.
Director of Print Show: Naoko Yagura
Print Show Co-Chairs: Anna Said Pullicino, Katherine Long, and Yuko Yoneoka
Contact: printshow@cwaj.org
