Showa Retro @ ARTS RUSH GALLERY DAIKANYAMA

Apr 18

Showa Retro
**昭和レトロ**

What once was is never so far gone…
April 19 ~ May 1, 2023
@ Arts Rush Gallery

visit arts rush gallery

Japan’s Showa Era began way back in 1926 and lingered on all the way to 1989. That’s a wide swath of time, multiplied by a series of drastic cultural upheavals to try and pull artistic inspiration from. Most of which I am entirely unqualified to comment on.

After all, “retro” implies nostalgia, and it’s difficult to be nostalgic for a time when I either had neglected to be born or not yet come to Japan.

But I was invited to join the Showa Retro 「昭和レトロ」 exhibition at Arts Rush, and never let it be said that I won’t plunge blindly flailing headfirst into a challenge.

And so plunge I did.

Although I couldn’t place a toe on Showa Japanese soil, it had reached out its post-war cultural tendrils and met me in my home, through anime (Battle of the Planets…er, Kagaku Ninja-tai Gatchaman), and a certain giant reptilian kaiju.

Altogether, 5 talented photographers, doll-conjurors, and paper-shapers have embarked on a journey to the past. Join us on this archeological artistic expedition to burrow through nostalgia until the past is transformed into something new.