Yu Tsukada | "5th Anniversary Exhibition: The Vienna World's Fair and the Ainu Collection" (Part 1)
An exhibition at the National Ainu Museum examines Japan's displays and the representation of the Ainu at the 1873 Vienna World's Fair.Summary
Coinciding with the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, the National Ainu Museum in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, is hosting the "5th Anniversary Exhibition: The Vienna World's Fair and the Ainu Collection" (Part 1). This exhibition re-examines Japan's first national participation in the 1873 Vienna World's Fair, focusing on how the Ainu were represented, while also shedding light on the negative aspects of World's Fairs as events intertwined with rising imperialism that often harmed colonized regions and minority groups. For its debut, Japan exhibited high-craft items, such as massive porcelain vases created with advice from Alexander von Siebold, rather than industrial goods, setting the stage for Japonisme. Regarding the collected Ainu materials, researchers noted that the collection guidelines repeatedly used the term "un-civilized" ("不開化"), suggesting an intent to frame the Ainu, who maintained their own culture while trading with the Shogunate, as representing an "uncultivated region."
(Source：artscape)