A Floating World: Impermanence and Motion in Japanese Art
Edited by Stephan von der Schulenburg, Matthias Wagner. Text by Stephan von der Schulenburg.
A marvelously illustrated volume demonstrating how Japanese art permeates and comments on the changes and uncertainties of existence
Weathered, centuries-old wooden sculptures. A broken tea bowl, repaired with gold lacquer. Hokusai's Great Wave: an archetypal expression of beauty and mortal danger. All these elements are found in A Floating World, accompanying a 2025 exhibition at the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany. Priceless items held by the museum are complemented by the works of contemporary artists, portraying Japan as a nation that has created a unique aesthetic language of the ephemeral. In a place where earthquakes, tsunamis and human-made catastrophes can snatch away life at any moment, an art flourishes that is in constant awareness of the precious fragility of our existence—in a breathtakingly beautiful, quiet and fascinating celebration of transience. Also in this stunning volume are images depicting human life with and on the water, cherry blossom festivals and courtly butterfly dances.
STATUS: Forthcoming | 8/26/2025
This title is not yet published in the U.S. To pre-order or receive notice when the book is available, please email orders @ artbook.com
A Floating World: Impermanence and Motion in Japanese Art
Published by Walther König, Koln. Edited by Stephan von der Schulenburg, Matthias Wagner. Text by Stephan von der Schulenburg.
A marvelously illustrated volume demonstrating how Japanese art permeates and comments on the changes and uncertainties of existence
Weathered, centuries-old wooden sculptures. A broken tea bowl, repaired with gold lacquer. Hokusai's Great Wave: an archetypal expression of beauty and mortal danger. All these elements are found in A Floating World, accompanying a 2025 exhibition at the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany. Priceless items held by the museum are complemented by the works of contemporary artists, portraying Japan as a nation that has created a unique aesthetic language of the ephemeral. In a place where earthquakes, tsunamis and human-made catastrophes can snatch away life at any moment, an art flourishes that is in constant awareness of the precious fragility of our existence—in a breathtakingly beautiful, quiet and fascinating celebration of transience. Also in this stunning volume are images depicting human life with and on the water, cherry blossom festivals and courtly butterfly dances.
