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Kazari
directors have pursued their passion for art and aesthetics since
the 70's
Kazari
is widely known for antique furniture, antiques, fine art and folk
art from Japan and was lauded in Architectural Digest as one of the
best stores in Melbourne. In 2002 they were principal sponsors of
SPRING FLOWERS,AUTUMN GRASS - the Spirit of Nature in Asian
Art exhibition showing works from the collection at the
NGV (National Gallery of Victoria)
More
recently they have been widening their vision to include
contemporary art and exhibitions in African and other tribal
art. Their vintage textile department, Ziguzagu, is a mecca
for lovers of textiles, crafts people and fashionistas.
History:
Directors
: Robert Joyce and Jo Maindonald.
Robert
Joyce travelled widely in S.E. Asia in the 70's, visiting and
trading in the more remote islands of Indonesia and with the hill
tribes of the Philippines and in Thailand.
Together
Robert Joyce and Jo Maindonald spent time in Japan and S.E. Asia in
the late 70's- early 80's, before dealing in Japanese antiques
and art until China opened up for trade.
KAZARI
Japanese Interiors was founded 1978
in High St,
Armadale, Melbourne after a decade of other minor ventures which
included for Robert, the flea market at the Carl ton Pram Factory
in the early 70's.
Robert
and Jo started the
first MADE IN JAPAN store in Chapel St, South Yarra; a cutting edge
concept for its time, originally
conceived to showcase riding the wave of interest in Japan in
the postwar period. Fashion
parades were held showing the great Japanese designers of the
period - and work inspired by them which was sold in the adjacent
boutique SHO. The
business was sold in the late 80's while the partners refocused on
antiques and art.
KAZARI
Art and Antiques occupied
the rear gallery with garden in Chapel St and then moved
to 290, Malvern Rd in 1995 as KAZARI and the
Orientalist.
In 2006
they opened their new gallery KAZARI collector and renamed the
other two to reflect the difference between the 3
stores.
kazari:
Japanese
='to
decorate' or 'to exhibit' 'to arrange with
wit'
kazari is
central to Japanese aesthetics:and is the foundation upon which
KAZARI was conceived; it underpins its essence and aesthetic
sensibility, while KAZARI widens the vision beyond that of the
physical and geographical limitations of Japan and the
region.
definition: kazari
The
basic meaning of the verb kazaru is ‘to decorate, to adorn’ also in
the sense of ‘to exhibit’, ‘to put on show’ .It has since developed
to become an integral part of the Japanese language and traditional
aesthetics. Kazari does not conform solely to the Western aesthetic
of ‘fine art’; it can be applied to categories of art such as
painting, but encompasses everything from ceramics to hair
accessories. Kazari extends to participation in social activities
such as tea, literary gatherings and seasonal festivals as these
events transmute the ordinary into the extraordinary. Kazari is an
ephemeral sensation that through surprise and splendour can take
you out of the everyday into the realm of the
sacred.”
Edited
from: Kazari: Decoration and Display in Japan,
15th –19thcenturies
British Museum 2003
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