Blanton Live: Conversations for Now | How Edo-Era Art Inspires Anime, Manga, and Contemporary Art

Samurai. Kabuki. Cherry Blossoms. Mount Fuji. These captivating subjects of Japanese woodblock prints, on view in the Blanton’s exhibition The Floating World: Masterpieces of Edo Japan, were part of the popular culture of their time. Now, Edo-period iconography and techniques live on in today’s pop culture from Japan and beyond—including manga, anime, contemporary painting, street art, and zines.

Two acclaimed experts, internationally recognized contemporary artist Gajin Fujita, and anime author and professor of Japanese studies Susan Napier, come together to discuss the many fascinating ways historic Japanese art surfaces in contemporary culture. They’ll also consider how Japanese pop culture has captured peoples’ imaginations across the globe.