Japanese Design Today

A traveling exhibition presented by the Japan Foundation, launched in 2004 and updated in 2013, bringing together around 100 examples of Japanese design, primarily products released after the year 2000, alongside a few earlier masterpieces. Contemporary Japanese design has its roots in the postwar period of the 1950s and it focuses on functionality, originality, ingenuity, and functional beauty – qualities that have endured and evolved over time.

Is it possible to convey something about the lifestyle of the Japanese people through design? Could this be achieved through the design of everyday products — perhaps by showcasing objects commonly used in Japanese households and society?

One of the core ideas behind the concept of this exhibition was to explore several key assumptions: that the functionality and design of products represent a point of intersection between users and the dreams and hopes of the companies and designers who create them; that the design of a product always reflects the era, society, and culture in which it was born; and that the sensitivity of traditional Japanese craftsmanship and the spirit that drove Japanese product design in the postwar period are still alive today.

Partners: Embassy of Japan, Japan Foundation
Exhibition curated by Maria Ursică