Noh Performance at UCLA
Kiyoshi Awazu
Japanese, 1929–2009
1981
A 1981 offset-lithograph poster by Kiyoshi Awazu that translates the enigmatic mask of Japanese Noh theater into a bold, contemporary graphic to advertise a UCLA performance.
A vast, matte-black mask floats at the center, its slit eyes and green-blue lips set against undulating, neon-striped waves that read simultaneously as clouds, mountains, and sound, all tightly framed by candy‑striped borders that heighten the poster’s electric, hypnotic presence.
The poster shows how late‑20th‑century designers used commercial printing and pop color to reinterpret traditional performance for international audiences, blurring boundaries between design, fine art, and cultural exchange.
Medium
Offset lithograph
Dimensions
40 1/2 x 28 5/8" (102.8 x 72.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of the College of Fine Arts, UCLA
Accession
73.1990
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
