Bunraku Backstage
Bunraku Backstage
October 4, 2024—January 19, 2025Alongside the live bunraku performances held at Japan Society this fall, Bunraku Backstage offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the theater. Bunraku, a dramatic art integrating performances of skilled puppetry, shamisen music, and narration, has evolved since the early 17th century in Japan and is recognized by UNESCO as a “masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.” Showcasing actual working puppets, costumes, props, and instruments on loan from the National Bunraku Theatre, Osaka, in celebration of their 40th anniversary, this exhibition unveils the collaboration that goes into staging a bunraku production. Unexpected multimedia installations by contemporary artists, all of which re-interpret and revive the artistic language of bunraku, explore the theater’s ongoing inspiration and influence.
Admission Information
Thursday–Sunday, 11 am–7 pm
Free First Fridays, 7-9 pm
Closed on major holidays
Tickets
Admission Information Forthcoming
Admission is always free for members, patrons with disabilities and an accompanying Personal Care Assistant.
Top Image: Courtesy of National Bunraku Theatre, Osaka; Inset Image: Yuichiro Tamura, Invisible Hands, 2022. 3-channel video, sound, inkjet print, ceramic, and shop curtain. Collection of Mori Art Museum, Tokyo. Photo: Furukawa Yuya
Product support for Bunraku Backstage is generously provided by Sony Corporation of America.
Japan Society programs are made possible by leadership support by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Exhibitions and Arts & Culture Lecture Programs are made possible, in part, by Sompo Holdings, Inc.; the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund; the Mary Griggs Burke Endowment Fund established by the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation; The Masako Mera and Koichi Mera, PhD Fund for Education and the Arts; Peggy and Dick Danziger; and Friends of the Gallery. Support for Arts & Culture Lecture Programs is provided, in part, by the Sandy Heck Lecture Fund. Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the official Japanese airline sponsor for Japan Society gallery exhibitions.
