A Thematic Exhibition for the 50th Anniversary of the Museum’s Founding, Lines and Dots: The Aesthetic Journey of Arabic Calligraphy
| Exhibition Period | Thursday, March 13, 2025 – Tuesday, June 17, 2025 | Location | Thematic Exhibition Hall, National Museum of Ethnology |
|---|---|
| Hours | 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Entry is permitted until 4:30 p.m.) |
| Closed on | Wednesdays |
| Admission Fee |
Adults ¥580, and college/ university students ¥250, senior high school and elementary and junior high school students Free ▶ Details |
| Presented by | the National Museum of Ethnology |
Exhibition Outline
This thematic exhibition traces the transformation and rebirth of Arabic calligraphy in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We have selected the artefacts which would narrate the story of how this artistic tradition has acquired a renewed value in the mediatised world where a large volume of written communication is now done digitally. With the advent of mass media, such as print, photography and motion pictures, demand for highly skilled calligraphers increased dramatically. The invention of Arabic computer fonts of the 1980s was the game changer. With digitisation, anybody could type and reproduce highly legible Arabic letters without expense. But what appeared as a loss gave some calligraphers the impetus to transform themselves from an artisan to an artist.
Related Event
Minpaku Seminars
Fuad Kouichi Honda’s Calligraphy and the Cosmos
Date and Time：Saturday, April 19 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Place：Auditorium, National Museum of Ethnology
Lecturer：Fuad Kouichi HONDA(Arabic Calligrapher)
AISHIMA Hatsuki(National Museum of Ethnology)
Capacity：400
No application required / Participation is free
Minpaku Film Shows
©️Red Star Films
Photocopy
Date and Time：Sunday, June 8, 2025 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Place：Auditorium, National Museum of Ethnology
Commentator: AISHIMA Hatsuki (National Museum of Ethnology)
Capacity：350
Pre-registration required/ Participation is free (Exhibition ticket required)
Details：2017/ Egypt/ 95 minutes/ Arabic with English and Japanese subtitles
Director: Tamer Ashry / Cast: Mahmoud Hemida & Shereen Reda / Production: Red Star Films