Masami Teraoka and Japanese Ukiyo-e Prints

Media Kit

Colour print of man and woman staring at each other in the ocean. Print style reminiscent of traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e prints

Masami Teraoka, Catfish Envy, 1993, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, gift of Kenneth Tyler 2002 © the artist and Kenneth E Tyler

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From the 1970s to the 1990s, Japanese-born, United States-based artist Masami Teraoka used the traditional visual vocabulary of Edo period (1603–1868) and Meiji period (1868–1912) ukiyo-e woodblock prints to comment on the world around him. These included reflections on contemporary themes such as globalisation, collisions between Asian and western cultures, and the AIDS crisis. Inspired in particular by kabuki theatre prints and the ukiyo-e genres of bijin-ga (beautiful women), yūrei-zu (ghosts, demons and supernatural beings), and shunga (erotic prints), Teraoka created dramatic compositions rich in symbolism.

This exhibition will present key examples of Teraoka’s work from this period alongside traditional ukiyo-e prints, delving into their visual, strategic and thematic connections. Leading ukiyo-e artists featured include Utagawa Kunisada, Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Toyohara Kunichika, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and Natori Shunsen.

Forming part of the National Gallery’s Kenneth E. Tyler Collection exhibition series, this display will focus on Teraoka’s Hawaii snorkel series, created at Tyler Graphics Limited in 1992/93. Related trial proofs and archival materials will showcase the hybrid techniques and innovative approaches Tyler employed to help Teraoka realise his vision.

Masami Teraoka and Japanese Ukiyo-e Prints is a Kenneth E. Tyler Collection exhibition.

Please book a free Gallery entry ticket to gain admission to the National Gallery. We encourage you to book ahead of your visit.

Curators: Beatrice Thompson, Associate Curator, Asian and Pacific Art
Kira Godoroja-Prieckaerts, Kenneth E. Tyler Assistant Curator, Catalogue Raisonné

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