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A pleated purple garment with a large multicolored collar and cape

Issey Miyake (Japanese, b. 1938, d. 2022), Geometric Pleats, pleated polyester, 1996, Museum purchase with funds provided by Fashion Group International of Cincinnati in memory of Otto Charles Thieme, 1997.3

A gold sculpture with a squared side and a sharp, angled side

Kaze (Wind), 2009, Kohyama Yasuhisa (Japanese, b. 1936), Shigaraki-style stoneware, wood-fired, Museum Purchase with funds provided by The Jeffrey Horvitz Foundation with Carol Horvitz, 2010.42, © Yasuhisa Kohyama

A cream-colored dress with a textured top and lace, curtain-like skirt

Rei Kawakubo (Japanese, b 1942), Ensemble: Blouse and Skirt, polyester, cotton, silk, 2005, Museum Purchase with funds provided by Friends of Fashion, 2018.95a-b

A donut-shaped sculpture with a scaly, beige surface

Atatakana Ikimono (Warm Living Thing), 2015, Hattori Makiko (Japanese, b. 1984), unglazed porcelain, Gift of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, 2017.133, © Hattori Makiko

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Shapeshifting: Unconventional Approaches in Contemporary Japanese Design

January 13, 2024–January 12, 2025

Gallery 136

Pairing together ceramics and textiles from the museum’s collection, this special feature explores different processes of "becoming" within contemporary Japanese design. During the material creation of artworks, both objects and artists may "become" something else: a block of clay may transform into a flower or the wind, while a fashion designer’s artistic identity may shift over the course of their career. A collaboration between the museum’s Decorative Arts & Design and Fashion Arts & Textiles departments, this new display investigates the experimentation and evolution at the center of contemporary Japanese design, regardless of medium.