by Samiha Uddin
I am ethnically Bengali and Japanese. Being the product of various ethnic groups has been fulfilling as I can pick and choose my communities whenever I wanted. While this was a blessing, it was also a curse. No group truly saw me as their own and it was challenging to fit into the mold each culture wanted me to be. I found myself looking for minuscule things to identify with someone–to escape the denials and make-believes. Years of attempting to sculpt my identity based on the cultural norms between the two cultures has only led to the buildup of a disfigured clay statue; something that melted and trickled away upon contact with anything. I have come to realize instead of trying to choose something that I had trouble choosing between, I can BE that something. Lastly, while Bengali and Japanese cultures may seem very different, it is through arts that we see different identities echo off one another within the Asian regions.
In this exhibition, I will be exploring how cultural identity has influenced Asian art. Asian art has been known to stay true to traditional methods while capturing the rich and diverse cultural heritage as it changes throughout the years.
Capturing Cultural Identity in Japanese Art
17th- 19th Century
Fujin Sōgaku Jittai (“Ten physiognomies of women”) and Fujo Ninsō Juppin (“Ten classes of women’s physiognomy” by Japanese artist Utamaro was published during 1792-1793. Collectively these artworks are called Ukiyo-e art and its primary subjects consisted of courtesans, prostitutes, geisha, and overall beautiful Japanese women. Japan is known to be a conservative nation who values tradition and constructs a lot of their identity based on social group, politeness, respect, amongst others. Thus, these artwork constructed by Utamaro surprised many as it challenged the notion that women were complacent and feminine, especially during the 17th century. Furthermore, Shogunates in Japan or military dictators tried to restrain his creative expression multiple times. Despite this, he continued to create artwork and while the subjects weren’t portrayed provocatively, the essence of some of his later paintings entwined a lot of the themes inconspicuously. By doing this, he is also challenging the While it cannot be ignored that geishas, courtesans, and prostitutes were common in Japan and comprised art of Japanese cultural identity, it is still quite subversive to depict this aspect of Japanese culture during his time period. While his artwork wasn’t representative of a women’s identity in a holistic manner as these art are from a man’s perspective, his attention to detail within these art and unique yet realistic compositions are also what made them so relevant.
Amongst the numerous artwork within the series, Uwaki no Sō is most popular. It portrays a young woman with a seductive look to her eyes, careless yet graceful positioning of her clothing, and open breasts. While the physical beauty of the woman hasn’t been reduced as was the cultural norm within Japanese arts, it is diverging away from the stereotypical beauty everyone was accustomed to in Japanese art with a female subject. In a way, it empowers women because it is displaying a woman who according to their culture is at the bottom of the social class, in a beautiful way. Culture and identity are connected, however one shouldn’t dictate the other. In this case, the subject’s identity as a courtesans, prostitutes, geisha, amongst others is showcased despite it being “preposterous” in Japanese culture. Lastly, challenging the identities of women that were depicted in Japanese painting was how these cultural values changed. In other words, artwork such as this sparked a movement where artists began to take the reality of their culture and depict them in a new way–slowly changing how things have been in the culture by disseminating a new idea or an old idea in a newer form.
21st Century- 2019
As mentioned before, Japanese culture emphasizes the values and deeply integrates all forms of respect everywhere. When Chiharu Shiota was nine-years old, she witnessed her neighbor’s house burn down. The charred piano was the focal point for her and while she wanted to play the piano again, her mother told her not to out of respect for her family. For Shiota, the silence of the charred piano lingered in her heart, making her feel as if her voice had been burnt as well. While she isn’t able to express every aspect of her emotions relating to that event, the silence imposed on her due to her culture has influenced this artwork. Shiota has also lived in Berlin and meeting so many people from different cultures has influenced how she viewed her own cultural identity. It is there that everything became clear and led her to integrate pieces of her cultural identity within the abstract structures. Despite the cultural norm of being silent as a way of paying respect being a large part of her identity, she was able to utilize her experiences being silent in a beautiful way. Creating this art was a way for her to convey the idea that although something may lose its function, it doesn’t lose its beauty.
“In Silence” is a recreation of the event artist Chiharu Shiota experienced as a child of a scorched piano. The piano is entangled and sunken with black wool creating a sketch-like image. It creates an eerie and despondent aura as we feel trapped amongst everything being snarled up within eternal darkness. However, we cannot help but acknowledge that while this creation may connote a negative aura, it is quite beautiful because it enhances the impact of the piano. The discordant weaving of the charcoal wool allows us to visualize the powerful music it once produced—the music that disseminates with so much impact that it becomes difficult to decipher and understand it all just like the tangled wool that is engulfing us. She makes things that were inexpressible with words feel even more real and present.
Lastly, the piano gets clearer once we put yourself within the web, and get closer. Once we try to understand something, delve deeper into things we see complexity of something in detail, however it gets clearer. The more Shiota delved into her culture, the clearer her artistic vision got—facilitating the creation of these arts. Similarly, the more Shiota delved into the event that once silenced her, the more she sought to understand it through art.
Capturing Cultural Identity in Bengali Art
17th- 19th Century
In Bangladesh, everything entailing Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan is heavily integrated within every aspect of the culture whether that be the education system, within the workplace, within media. Something that is less discussed is the years of colonialism Bangladesh endured. During the 18th and 19th century, when Bangladesh was still a part of India and later Pakistan, British East India company continued to establish various trading posts. As trading posts increased so did the integration of various British norms. In Bangladesh, the education system has a national and British curriculum students can enroll in. Furthermore, Bengali while at large are nationalistic seeks to integrate a lot of western standards within its culture. For example, if one behaves or looks like the west, they are seen to be from a higher social class. While artist Shahabuddin Ahmed integrated the traditional oil on canvas style common in Europe, his artwork is distinct as it is quite minimalist and the subject matter he chooses are things or people found in Bangladesh. While colonialism is terrible, it did bring with it various arts which when combined with the talent of Bangladeshi artists, created something beautiful.
Freedom Fighter by Ahmed showcases a hero-like subject with defined muscles and definition which slowly blurs into the background. The subject while speeding through seems to have exploded showcases through the ruptured flesh and blood. Shahabuddin is against violence and this art conveys that point by showcasing the ugliness of war. However, the lighting and colors channel a sense of inner beauty—the courage and resilience of those that fought. So, while Bangladesh was built through violence and has suffered from colonialism, he is not only taking a stance and advocating for something, he is also showing that doesn’t mean we need to detest the beautiful parts about that culture. Cultural appreciation through the arts can be the bridge to understanding and empathy on both ends.
The plains of Bengal offer a lot of rich alluvial soil that can be used to create art. Sculptures utilize the clay to craft detailed art with intricate shapes and textures. While the use of clay to create art is not specific to Bangladesh, the way it was used is unique to the culture of Bangladesh.
Leave a Reply