Japanese Exhibition - NINGYŌ: Art & Beauty of Japanese dolls

The Embassy of Japan and College of Creative Arts, Massey University, in cooperation with the Japan Foundation, are very pleased to announce that the Japan Foundation’s Travelling exhibition “NINGYŌ: Art and Beauty of Japanese dolls” will take place during the above-mentioned period at the College of Creative Arts, Massey University in Wellington.

This exhibition presents a comprehensive introduction to Japanese doll culture, from Katashiro and Amagatsu, which are considered to be the archetypes of dolls in Japan, to local dolls that reflect the climate and anecdotes from across the country, to dress-up dolls that are beloved in Japan today as toys, and scale figures that are highly regarded around the world.

Under the title NINGYŌ, which means “human shape” in Japanese, the doll culture that has been cultivated over the long history of Japan will be introduced through selected dolls, divided into 4 sections: “Ningyō to pray for children’s growth,” “Ningyō as fine art,” “Ningyō as folk art,” and “Spread of Ningyō culture.”