The Japan visitors encounter in the exhibit Out of the Ordinary/Extraordinary: Japanese Contemporary Photography, from June 16-Sept. 16 at UMMA Off/Site on South University at Forest, is not the Japan of the tea ceremony, the rock garden, the geisha or even anime. It is the Japan of the 1990s and early years of the 21st century as screened through the curatorial vision of Michiko Kasahara. This photo from the series SNAP OSAKA, a 1996 gelatin silver print, is among works by 11 young photographers who challenge conventional Western assumptions about Japanese aesthetics and culture. The presentation is organized by the U-M Museum of Art and the Japan Foundation, New York, and supported by Rudolf Arnheim, the Japan Business Society of Detroit Foundation and the University's International Institute and Institute for Research on Women and Gender. Senior Curator of Asian Art Maribeth Graybill will lead a gallery tour at 3 p.m. June 17 and July 22. Tours are also scheduled for 2 p.m. July 8 and 15, and 1 p.m. July 18, 19 and 20. (Photo by Motoda Keizo) |