The Energy of Asian Design

The theme of this exhibition is contemporary Asian design, It examines and evaluates design from a number of perspectives: utility, consistency in form and function, and its relationship to the social environment of Asia. 

Says curator, Hiroshi Kashiwagi: 

Design has done more than shape markets; it has fashioned living social environments. We can see the contours of our society and culture through design. The exhibition describes contemporary Asian society and culture. In this sense, to witness The Energy of Asian Design is to grasp Asia today. 

However, our show means to raise the following questions. Is the energy of Asian design truly indigenous? Is design still powerful enough to create the social environment we inhabit? 

This exhibition is organized by the Japan Design Committee in collaboration with the cultural office of Canada's Year of Asia Pacific and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD). In addition to Japan, participating nations will include Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand. Designers represented include Yusaku Kamekura, Shigeo Fukuda and Motomi Kawakami. 

Artist: Alfredo Benavides Bedoya, Maria Blabolilova, Izabella Gustowaka, Katsunori Hamanishi, Valgerdur Hauksdottir, Mitsuru Hiraki, Shoichi Ida, Ryoji Ikeda, Seiko Kawachi, Karen Kunc, Tim Mara, Ondrej Michalek, Gustavo Monroy, Tadayoshi Nakabayashi, Tetsuya Noda, Maurice Pasternak, Krystyna Piotrowska, Misako Shimizu, Wolfgang Troschke, Annu Vertanen, Keisuke Yamaguchi, Malgorzata Zurakowska 

Curated by Hiroshi Kashiwagi.