Defying Boundaries

This exhibition addresses often-overlooked histories and stories of women in Japanese art. Marginalized in modern and historical accounts that focused on men, these women were nevertheless very much present in Japanese visual culture. From warriors and poets memorialized in prints to pioneering Japanese artists, these works offer glimpses of those who broke boundaries and inspired generations of artists and illustrators.

Also portrayed in this exhibition are famous performers of female roles, or onnagata 女方. When women were banned from acting in the Kabuki theater in 1629, some male actors began specializing in women’s parts, redefining the concept of femininity in their time. Female impersonators became arbiters of style and models of femininity, both onstage and offstage. 

–Wai Yee Chiong, curator of Asian art