Beastly Good!

In Japan, too, animals and birds are amongst the most popular subjects of art, alongside flowers, plants, landscapes and humans. From tigers and monkeys to elephants to mice, this exhibition drawn from the Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art Museum) holdings unites a veritable zoo on paintings, graphics, ceramics and lacquerware, which can be enjoyed in comfort even during summer temperatures in the air-conditioned museum galleries at the Humboldt Forum. In East Asia, tigers, whose roar is said to be able to summon the wind, and dragons, which bring rain from amongst the clouds, symbolise control over the forces of nature. They are therefore closely associated with the representation of power. Mice and rats are admired for their intelligence and capacity to find the live-sustaining rice, even in the most remote corners. As rice was used as a form of currency in Japan until the 19th century, they became a symbol of prosperity. Other animals – the horse, for example, which is the animal of the year 2026 in the East Asian zodiac – have served as working animals and human’s friends and companions. Yet, if depicted in nature without bridle and saddle, they might also express unrestrained freedom and unlimited energy. You are cordially invited to discover these qualities – and many more – in artistic depictions of these awesome creatures who share our planet with us.

A temporary exhibition of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin at the Humboldt Forum, room 318, Arts of Japan