The Freer House, Wayne State University, is joining with the Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures (FAAC) and the Friends of the Detroit Film Theater (FDFT) at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) for a special free online viewing of the exceptional documentary, Edo Avant Garde, and a live Q&A with film producer, Linda Hoagland and Dr. Yukio Lippit, Professor of History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University.
Edo Avant Garde reveals the story of how Japanese artists of the explosively creative Edo period (1615-1868) pioneered innovative approaches to painting that many in the West associate most readily with so-called modern art of the 20th century. Through groundbreaking interviews with scholars, priests, art dealers, and collectors in Japan and the U.S., the film explores how the concepts of abstraction, minimalism, and surrealism are all to be found in Edo painting. The documentary highlights the role of Detroit's Charles Lang Freer as a pioneering collector of Edo period Japanese art.
The film's exquisite cinematography and outstanding original soundtrack, composed in response to individual paintings and screens, present a remarkable immersive experience of some of Japan's most celebrated, yet least-filmed paintings; many of them outside traditional museum and gallery settings. Simultaneously dynamic and mesmerizing; at its heart, Edo Avant-Garde offers a unique opportunity to look closely and see differently.
Edo Avant Garde is available for free home viewing with advance registration. A link to access the film will be emailed to each registrant on May 13 for use anytime during the May 13-23 film viewing period. On-demand registration and access will also be available during the ten-day period.
