Kunsthal Rotterdam

Camera Japan is a cultural festival organised in Rotterdam every year since 2006. The main focus is on Japanese film, but they also explore the visual arts, music, dance, fashion, architecture, food, and much more. Every autumn, the festival screens the best, the weirdest, and the most unexpected cinema from Japan.

Bites and drinks

During Friday Night LIVE, the tastiest bites are back on the menu. And are you coming to the Kunsthal with your Friday Night LIVE ticket between 17:00 and 19:00 hrs? Then a complimentary welcome drink (wine, beer, or soda) will be waiting for you!

PROGRAMMA

CINEMA CONCERT: A PAGE OF MADNESS

The exhibition CUTE reveals both the power and the dark side of cuteness. It shows that cuteness has many faces – from sweet, innocent, and comforting to critical, ambiguous, and at times even unsettling. In connection with this darker side of cuteness, Camera Japan is presenting the classic A Page of Madness. Based on a short story by Kawabata Yasunari, this rarely screened film depicts the delusions of an institutionalized woman. The film has been hailed as "the Oriental equivalent of Robert Wiene's silent masterpiece Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. The film will be presented with a live-score by the Rotterdam Kinematic Ensemble.

Japanese Animation Shorts 

A selection of animated Japanese shorts curated by animation director and producer Murakami Hiromitsu. The hand-picked programme explores mysterious creatures, odd locations, life and death, and more.

TETRAPODS

Around 50% of Japan’s coastline is reinforced with concrete wave breakers called tetrapods. The iconic shape inspired artist Baschz Leeft to explore concrete and mould making. He created an ingenious 3D-printed mould to cast 100 unique scaled down tetrapods. This exhibition presents both casts and moulds, as well as other insights and outcomes related to the Tetrapodcasts project. Especially for CAMERA JAPAN, Baschz has also created a set of Fuwa Fuwa Tetorapoddo (soft, cuddly tetrapods). Hug, sit, hang, chill, and take photos with them while you enjoy FNL.

DJ HATCHO

You can find DJ Hatcho at record fairs with his wide selection of Japanese vinyl records. Those familiar with Japanese music know where to find him and what to go for.  But what if you aren’t that familiar with Japanese music? Well, for those DJ Hatcho will spin his records. Hear anything you like? Don't miss the chance to buy the record!

DJ MūSiz

MūSiz is a DJ, musician, MC, producer and (song)writer from the Rotterdam underground scene. He has produced and written songs for other musicians, and produced art scores and poetry for visual artists. He characterises his DJ sets as Eclectic Boogie, a groove-centred mix of funky, soulful and classic sounds with a partiality for vintage Japanese grooves.

Workshop: Cutify

Join Gina from Studio Ginart for a CUTE workshop! Explore the visual principles that make an illustration charming and use techniques that you may recognize from the CUTE exhibition. Gina will show you how adjustments in shape, proportion, lines and color can transform a design. With pencil, fine-liner, and alcohol markers, we’ll re-imagine monsters (it will soon be Halloween, after all) through the lens of kawaii. Come join and discover how to soften the creepy and celebrate the delightful.

EXPO: MOMENTS IN BETWEEN BY LEANDRA DU PAU

Illustrator Leandra du Pau captures in-between moments when nothing has to happen to share the idea that unproductivity is worth our time. Travelling in Japan, she unexpectedly found many places where time seemed to have paused. She finds inspiration in Japan because despite the hectic pace, there is a lot of room for in-between moments. At home, her rabbits remind her to slow down, which is why they are often part of her atmospheric illustrations.

KIMONO DRESSING

Come try on an authentic kimono. Hallelujah Kimono, the only Japanese kimono shop in the Netherlands, offers the opportunity to see, touch and wear real kimono. Experience an authentic kimono fitting and parade through the CUTE exhibition. For all ages and genders.

About the exhibition CUTE

Why do we swoon over baby faces, stay glued to screens showing fluffy kitten videos, and collectively communicate through emojis? Discover the seductive and sometimes confusing universe of CUTE, an exhibition that shows how cuteness has both conquered and deregulated our world. In this time of fast online stimuli, being cute is not just attractive, but also a powerful tool to manipulate, comfort, or provoke. Dance to sugary beats in the Hello Kitty disco, transform into an anime character in the installation Glimmer, or dress up tiny digital monsters in the game arcade. From Japanese kawaii to funny memes and futuristic design: CUTE immerses you in an ultra-cute experience.

Friday Night LIVE wordt mogelijk gemaakt dankzij de deelnemers van de VriendenLoterij.