Concept

2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Chihiro Iwasaki’s birth. Since its opening in 1977, the Chihiro Art Museum has focused on the life and work of Chihiro Iwasaki through exhibitions and other various activities.

Amid the dramatic changes taking place today, the Chihiro Art Museum has launched a new project under the theme “Life.”

While its original meaning refers to the state of having life and its vital force, “life” also encompasses a wide range of other meanings, such as living things, a lifetime, living, a lifestyle, vitality, and the purpose for living.

What Chihiro Iwasaki cherished and expressed in her artwork were such things … vibrant images of children playing, lovely flowers and birds, a simple and modest life, and life itself.

Perhaps what is needed to solve the many problems we face in Japan and the rest of the world, such as wars, poverty, discrimination, and environmental issues, is the power of imagination with regard to life. Chihiro Iwasaki’s paintings speak of life as an irreplaceable asset that transcends time.

Throughout the year, we will contemplate Chihiro Iwasaki’s life, as well as our own, from various perspectives.

Chihiro Art Museum