The RMIT Gallery has three brand new exhibitions opening next month, along with several public programs.
The RMIT Gallery has three brand new exhibitions opening in early February, along with several free public programs that will run between January and March.
First off, there’s Revolutionising Anime: Production I.G’s Pursuit of Ultra-Realistic Fantasy, which will detail the intricate process behind creating animation through storyboards, backgrounds and digital images from Production I.G films, such as Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell, which was an international cult hit, and its sequel Innocence.
Production I.G is one of the world’s leading animation companies, and is recognised for its sophisticated animation techniques and ultra-realistic animation. Its films range from science fiction to historical fantasy and contain references to philosophy and Zen, addressing aesthetic and moral questions.
The exhibition will explore how characters and props are conceived and designed before the complex process of animation begins.
It will be opened by the Consul General of Japan, Melbourne.
Also coming up in the RMIT Gallery is Japan: Kingdom of Characters. This playful summer exhibition promises to be an engaging holiday activity for aficionados as well as families.
It will include figures, panels, film and character-related products, and will showcase representative animated characters from the 1950s until the present day, such as Astro Boy, Pokemon and Hello Kitty.
Another exhibition is China and Revolution: History, Parody and Memory in Comtemporary Art, which will explore the relationship between the political poster art of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, and its impact on contemporary Chinese art.
It will feature original posters from the University of Westminster’s extensive collection and works from collaborating artists Liu Dahong, Shen Jiawei, Li Gongming and Xu Weixin.
The exhibition aims to open dialogue between the past and present with the work from artists who experienced the revolution first-hand, as well as through the display of original political posters carrying political and social messages to the Chinese masses.
The free public programs are:
The Fate of a Painting and Artists in the Cultural Revolution, on Friday January 21 from 12-1pm;
Sexual Robots and Plastic Humans in Anime, on Wednesday February 16 from 12-1pm;
Japanese Animation: Pre-Production and Design, on Wednesday February 16 from 12-1pm; and
Encounters with Japanese Popular Culture, on Wednesday March 9 from 12-1pm.
These exhibitions all run from January 21 until March 19, Monday to Saturday. The official opening is on Thursday February 3, from 6-8pm. To make a booking call 9925 1717 or email [email protected].
