This April, just in time for the school holidays, the Japan Foundation Sydney is proud to present our latest exhibition, Japan: Kingdom of Characters. The exhibition will run from 8 April through to 28 May at the Japan Foundation Gallery, taking visitors through Japan’s most popular characters that have triggered worldwide crazes from 1950s to 2000s.
Featuring life-sized figures of Hello Kitty, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Mobile Suit Gundam and more, the exhibition will be accompanied with panels, film and character-related products allowing a window into the obsessive phenomenon of Japan’s world of characters.
But what exactly are “characters”? Why do “characters” appear and become popular? What kind of social reality do they reflect? As interest in Japanese subculture, particularly anime and manga, become increasingly a topic of interest around the world, the Japan Foundation responds and examines the impact of characters on Japanese society.
PUBLIC PROGRAM
Every Wednesday night during the exhibition season, there will be free anime screenings and lecture series exploring the background and popularity of anime/manga and characters in Japan and abroad at the Japan Foundation Multi-purpose Room.
| Date | Program | Speaker | Topic/Film |
| 6th Apr | Film | Anime screening | Summer Wars (PG) |
| 13th Apr | Lecture | Dr Michael Hill (aka Doctor Comics) | Understanding Anime and Manga Character Design of the Magic Kingdom |
| 20th Apr | Film | Anime screening | The Place Promised in Our Early Days (PG) |
| 27th Apr | Lecture | Dr Emiko Okayama | From Empire of Signs to Kingdom of Characters: from Kanji to Kyara |
| 4th May | Film | Anime screening | Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigadge (MA) |
| 11th May | Film | Anime screening | Wings of Honneamise (M) |
| 18th May | Lecture | Dr Mio Bryce | Manga: Empathetic Media Expressing the Pain of the Individual |
| 25th May | Lecture | Dr Craig Norris | Cult Media Pilgrimages to Japan’s Kingdom of Characters |
| Date: | 8 April – 28 May |
| Venue: | Japan Foundation Gallery Level 1, Chifley Plaza, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney |
| Gallery hours: | Monday to Friday, 11am to 4pm, Wednesdays until 8:30pm Saturdays 16 & 30 April, 14 & 28 May, 11am – 4pm Closed Easter/ Anzac long weekend and 5 May (Japanese Public Holiday - Children's Day) |
| Public Programs: | Wednesdays during exhibition season from 6:30pm |
| Admission: | Free |
This exhibition is currently in Melbourne’s RMIT Gallery until 19 March. For a sneak peak, see below links for recent press:
Herald Sun, Feb 28 http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/exhibition-hello-manga-world/story-fn7euh6j-1226013311269
The Age, Feb 4 http://www.theage.com.au/national/melbourne-life/toying-with-humanity-20110203-1afhb.html
The Age, Jan 18 http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/illustrating-japans-psyche-20110117-19tzl.html
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