MINGEI: ART WITHOUT HEROES

Published to accompany the exhibition held at the William Morris Gallery in autumn 2024, this is a standalone book, not a catalogue of the exhibition. The introduction traces the Mingei movement from the 1920s with art critic and philosopher Yanagi Sōetsu’s plea for the recognition of inexpensive everyday anonymous crafts, through its evolution into a collectable commodity. Objects began to be signed by their makers, contradicting the original idea.

The book is a fascinating collection of nine essays, copiously illustrated with archive photos and the objects themselves. They are followed by profiles of contemporary makers and their approaches today, a very helpful glossary of frequently used terms, a bibliography and index.

Yuko Kikuchi examines the waves of Mingei activity around the world. Dasom Sung gives a cogent analysis of Leach’s view of Korean ceramics as pre-modern. Anna Jackson focuses on textiles, delving into the realities of production which do not fit the folk craft ideology. Okazaki Manami charts the transformation of the popular lathe-turned painted wooden dolls known as kokeshi from simple craft via kitsch souvenir to icon of pop culture.

There are essays on how and where Mingei objects were displayed (including contemporary retailer Muji), on the growth of Japanese design and its relationship to Mingei, on Mingei’s legacy in ceramics, and on the idea of a people’s art. Mingei encompasses industrial production alongside the crafts. The range of contributions adds immeasurably to the understanding of what Mingei is and why it is just as relevant today.

Roisin Inglesby (ed), Yale University Press, 2024, hb £35

Condensed from a review by Judy Rudoe in DAS Newsletter No. 132