Between tradition and modernity - Contemporary art in Kyoto

Kyōto — the former capital of Japan, is also the center of traditional art- and craftwork. But are Ukiyo-e, woodblock prints o handmade pottery really the only artistic works that the city has to offer? Since the last two decades have produced an explosive growth of exhibiting and collecting practices in the Asian art world, the art world in Kyōto has also experienced a veritable revival and renewal of its private art institutions, especially in the last ten years. Aligned within the anthropology of art current framework, this book aims to outline the findings from Alexandra Faust’s ethnographic field research trip to Kyōto (Japan). Drawing a picture of Kyōto’s contemporary art world, such as its public and private art-related institutions, galleries, showrooms, exhibition spaces, public art fairs and local, independent art places and artists it depicts the character of Kyōto’s institutional art world with its local, as well as global features and specifics. Alexandra Faust (MA) is currently living in Vienna, where she became the board member of the Austrian-Japanese society, continuously engaging in building a bridge between Japanese and European arts and traditions.