Contemporary Japanese Art
Kiyoshi Awazu
Japanese, 1929–2009
1983
A lithographic poster by Kiyoshi Awazu that advertises a 1983 exhibition of contemporary Japanese art through pulsating wood‑grain/topographic motifs in saturated reds, purples, and yellows meant to grab attention and suggest layered cultural energy.
What strikes you is the hypnotic sweep of concentric rings and jagged waves—like magnified tree rings or a heat map—rendered in electric bands of color that seem to vibrate across the sheet while stark white Japanese and English type frames the composition at the edges.
Straddling graphic design and fine art, this poster shows how late‑20th‑century Japanese designers used traditional printmaking to produce bold, hybrid images that helped articulate a modern Japanese visual identity and influenced international poster practice.
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
28 5/8 x 20 1/4"
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of the designer
Accession
764.2015
Palette
Exhibitions
