Crossing Visions Ⅰ　
ASIA IN COMICS:
Where Are We Going?

‘Crossing Visions’ is one of the thematic exhibition series organized by the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.  In the series are introduced visual expressions using such contemporary media as moving images, animations, cartoons/ comics, fashion, architecture and others into artworks.

The first of the exhibition introduces comics which is widely popular all over East Asia along with films.  After World War II, comics with stories developed in its own way from cartoons for kids and from satirical cartoons for adults.  In terms of its content and form of expression, comics developed as a culture that even adults can enjoy.  Such Japanese comics are exported not only to Asia but to Europe.  On the contrary, despite the development of comics in other Asian countries, hardly any comics from those countries have been introduced to Japan.  Only recently they started attracting the attention of Japanese audience through Japanese magazines that published Asian comics.

Based on the situation, this exhibition introduces the new movement of comics through the works created under the same theme, ‘Where Are We Going?’ by 11 artists from 3 countries and 1 region in East Asia.  The entire region was commonly urbanised under the influence of Chinese ideographic culture, and influenced largely by Japanese comics.  Yet each region and each artists reflects particular society they belong to and their works show their own sensitivity and passion for their expressions.  Comic books and magazines are also exhibited in the exhibition so that the audience can pick them up for their fun.

We wish this exhibition would offer a precious opportunity for us to know more about young people in East Asia and their sensitivities, and enhance cultural exchanges between Japan and other East Asian nations in the future.