contemporary print artist, nana shiomi

Nana Shiomi, Mitate 41 Tea Whisk, from the series 100 Views of Mitate,
woodblock print, edition of 10, 18"x18"


Nana Shiomi, Mitate 46 Teabowl, from the series 100 Views of Mitate,
woodblock print, edition of 10, 18"x18"


Nana Shiomi, Mitate 62 Caddy Spoon, from the series 100 Views of Mitate,
woodblock print, edition of 10, 18"x18"
[images: wills-art.com]

Speaking of Zen contemplation with a twist, the woodblock prints pictured above feature traditional Japanese tea ceremony accoutrements -- tea whisk, tea bowl, tea scoop and caddy -- in the style of Edo period Ukiyo-e prints from the 1800s. But these prints also have a twist.

Japan-born, London-based Nana Shiomi makes mitate-e (pronounced mee tah tay-ay), which are "parody" or "replacement" pictures. Artists of the Edo period, including Ukiyo-e artists, employed mitate to make playful or ironic connections between the contemporary and the historical, or the exalted and the banal. And the audiences got all the references. Having seen Nana Shiomi's work for the past three years at the Affordable Art Fair, and now investigating what she does more thoroughly, I have a deep desire to acquire one of her mitate prints.

In my first semester at college, it was a lecture on mitate by Dr. Tsuji Nobuo, the leading Japanese art scholar on the subject, that convinced me to pursue Japanese art history as a major, which in turn lead me to study in Japan. I could get into a lot more detail here, but suffice it to say, mitate is somehow responsible for where I am today, and will always have a special place in my heart.

I have two choices I suppose. I can wait until next year's AAF and hope Will's Art Warehouse, the London gallery which represents Shiomi, will participate again, or I could order one online for 180 pounds. They have a shopping cart. How convenient.