New Japonism and the Idea of BUNKASAI Japanese Arts Festival

Chie Piskorska
(Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology)

Japanese culture had a great influence on European art at the end of the 19th century. At present we can also observe a new version of Japonism on a worldwide scale. Poland is no exception, and has many “fans of Japan” regardless of generation. Though being a fan of one particular country sounds a bit strange, it shows that Japan has become a kind of phenomenon. Poland in turn, according to some experts, is one of the most pro-Japanese countries in the world.

With such background in mind, we started to organize in Warsaw “The Autumn Festival of Japanese Art – BUNKASAI” and its 4th edition will be held this year. The festival offers a wide range of attractions such as arts and crafts workshops and shows, lectures, concerts, performances, an art fair and an art exhibition. The intention of the festival is not only to promote Japanese culture; the idea is much more profound. We present the concept and achievements of BUNKASAI as a case study for further research, using such keywords as: “authenticity”, “integration”, “locality of culture and art” and “new japonism”.

 

Lecturer of Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology (“History of architecture and esthetic in Japan” at the department of Interior Design from 2010, “Esthetics and design in Japan and their practices” at the department of Japanese Culture from 2018.) Visiting lecturer of SGH at the department of Logistics. (“Negotiation with Japanese”, “Japan – the cradle of lean culture”). Founder and organizer of Autumn Festival of Japanese Arts BUNKASAI and a creator of the exhibition “New japanism” from 2016. Owner of a brand “MakiMaki – from Japan made in Poland” producing original textile goods.

In 1991 she graduated from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies with thesis about Russian religious philosophy. From 1997 she has been living in Poland.