03.June–04.August.2023

“Food - Poster design from Japan“ is based on the collection of the DNP Graphic Design Archive, which is managed by the DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion. The archive currently comprises nearly 20,000 posters from over 230 designers, primarily Japanese graphic designers from the post-war era. In this exhibition, we aim to showcase posters from this collection that are thematically organized beyond the boundaries of artists and eras. The theme of the exhibition is food.

Harmony of Foods
The “raw elements” of cooking should inherently evoke a new sense of quality, and this can be achieved in various ways. The presentation of ingredients makes it very tempting to transform them into something extraordinary.

Drink Iconography
Beverages have been a prominent theme in advertising posters in Japan since the beginning, and still are today. They succeed through the artistic and clever staging of the packaging, often captured photographically – the bottle.

Food for Pleasure
Advertising for sweets holds a special appeal. However, it wasn’t until after the end of the Second World War that it was even possible to think of buying sweets again. Until the 1950s, chocolate was considered a luxury item. The posters from that era also symbolized hope for a brighter future for both children and adults.

Food Landscape
Food as a communicative event, a gathering of friends or family, an occasion for a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. In the depiction, however, quite diverse: from a reduced representation to a scenery that seems to contain a whole story.

Food as Motif
To express their own perspectives and viewpoints, graphic designers often resort to metaphors and symbolic representations of abstract concepts, such as hunger. Often, food becomes a carrier of meaning of a different kind, clarifying statements beyond their fundamental importance for humans, such as bread.

Co-organized by:
DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion & CVA Berlin

Kindly supported by:
HIS Japan Premium Food & Travel
and The Japanese Embassy Berlin