Views of Kendo: Photographs from Japan by Amy Guggenheim

Tuesday, January 13 through Thursday, February 12
Opening Ceremony: Tuesday, January 13 from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Japan Information Center Gallery at Consulate General of Japan in New York – 299 Park Avenue, 18th Floor (between E. 48th and E. 49th Streets)

Admission: Free

This exhibition features a series of photographs taken by New York-based filmmaker Amy Guggenheim on a recent trip to Japan for research for When Night Turns to Day, her feature film about Kendo, the art of the Japanese sword. In this martial art, two people face each other sword-to-sword, up close and personal, both seemingly immovable. Although competitive, the purpose of Kendo isn’t winning or losing, but reaching mu, a state of enlightenment. This spirit is reflected in rituals in simple Kendo practice at the Butokuden, Kyoto’s oldest Dojo, and in the exhilarating encounter of high-level players at the All Nippon Kendo Tournament at the Budokan in Tokyo.

The opening ceremony for the exhibition features an Iaido sword demonstration by Sang Kim Sensei of the Byakkokan Dojo.

Guggenheim, whose work is known for its complex characters and essential visual stories about desire, has received numerous grants from institutions such as The Asian Cultural Council, The Mellon Fund, New York State Council on the Arts, The Fulbright Foundation, The Banff Center, American Embassy, United States Information Fund, Pratt Faculty Development Fund, among others, and shown at international venues and festivals. A Third Dan Kendo Player, she has practiced in New York, Europe, Mexico and Tokyo.

Her third short film, The Snake and The Parrot, was presented at Anthology Film Archives, NYC. Her current film is a coproduction with Koi Pictures, Tokyo, slated for production in late 2015. Coinciding with this photography exhibition is a benefit for When Night Turns to Day at The Kitano at 7 :00 p.m. also on Tuesday, January 13. For more information about the benefit, please click here.