From an art history perspective
Ainu Art and its Placement in Time
Indigenous art cannot be categorized easily.
On this page, I try to find where the Ainu art takes place within the non-linear timeline in the art world.
Emily Kngwarreye, Untitled, 1992
Indigeneity and contemporaneity
Indigenous art has often been "discovered" by those in the art world and has had a complicated relationship with categorization. They have been given labels and fitted into categories to secure a place in the market. despite the artists not identifying with them (McLean, 2011). For example, there are categories called Contemporary Aboriginal Art because they don't fit into the previous categories, such as Modern and Postmodern. Works by Emily Kngwarreye and Dorothy ​Napangardi have established a place in the contemporary world with their "simplistic styles" that speak to both the traditional Aboriginal designs and the minimalistic contemporary language. However, Gilchrist (2016) mentions how the Aboriginal people have a different understanding of time, known as Everywhen, which makes the Western categorization feel disconnected at times. This relates to Smith's (2009) opinions on how contemporary art is not just about art that is made now, and it's intertwined with the past, history, politics, and much more. While some artists identify themselves as contemporary artists, some don't, and a two-way conversation needs to happen so that the indigenous artistic styles are not misunderstood as a foreign concept.
Photo credit: Upopoy National Ainu Museum
Meaning of Creation for the Ainu people
The Ainu craftsmanship is strongly tied to their surroundings, especially nature and food resources. Traditionally, the Ainu men worked with wood to make ceremonial objects, which were decorated with detailed patterns indicating spiritual meanings. Meanwhile, women worked with cloth and textiles that also had unique patterns embedded using natural dyes such as indigo (*4). While people in Japan deemed the Ainu culture as less significant, they still appreciated the crafts. Starting in the 1980s, there was an increase in people who visited the Ainu Kotan, the villages for tourists. This created demand for souvenirs, which brought economic growth (*18).
Recent Ainu Art
The creation of traditional Ainu art still continues today, both for cultural and tourism purposes, and to encourage the inheritance of skills, there are amendments made, such as the removal of gender roles and adaptation to the proliferation of cotton in the 1980s (*4). The director of the Akan Ainu Art Week, Akibe Hideo, reflects on how some of the Ainu workers have become more flexible with their styles due to requests from the brands, being open to collaborating with other contemporary artists to create this event (*19). In comparison to Aboriginal art, it seems that there is no officially developed concept of "contemporary Ainu art." However, in exhibitions and websites, the term "contemporary Ainu art" is being used, but mainly to refer to recent-day creations. Additionally, many times, they are held in places that honor and respect the Ainu culture and not a random contemporary museum, and are planned in conjunction with participating Ainu artists (*19).
Photo credit: Upopoy National Ainu Museum