DUBAI: As the UAE and Japan celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties, the Abu Dhabi Festival is marking the occasion with an exhibition titled “Variation and Autonomy: The Prints of Contemporary Japanese Painters.” Set to run until July 7, the traveling show is curated by Kyoji Takizawa of the Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts in Tokyo and presents the work of ten artists who experimented with prints in the world of contemporary art in the 1970s. The exhibition is on show at The Galleria Al Maryah Island and features work by internationally renowned artist Yayoi Kusama, as well as Japanese artists Masanari Murai, Toshinobu Onosato, Yasukazu Tabuchi, Natsuyuki Nakanishi, Hitoshi Nakazato, Tomoharu Murakami, Naoyoshi Hikosaka, Kosai Hori and Toeko Tatsuno. The show is part of the Abu Dhabi Festival 2022, held under the theme “Crafting the Emirates State of Mind: Creation, Innovation and Joy.”It gives “audiences in the UAE an opportunity to experience the beauty of contemporary Japanese art and to discover the talent of its influential artists,” according to the founder and artistic director of Abu Dhabi Festival, Huda I. Alkhamis-Kanoo. “Showcasing 42 prints by 10 prominent Japanese contemporary painters, including the world-famous Yayoi Kusama, the exhibition reflects the festival’s nearly two-decade commitment to bringing the greatest international talents to audiences in Abu Dhabi, advancing cross-cultural exchanges between nations and building bridges of communication through the arts,” she added. Meanwhile, the Ambassador of Japan to the UAE Akio Isomata said: “I hope this exhibition makes a fresh contribution to further promotion of cultural exchanges between Japan and the UAE.” The history of Japanese contemporary prints dates back to the 1950s when a growing number of painters started experimenting with lithography. However, Japanese print-making has defined the nation’s artistic output for generations, with the likes of 18th century woodblock print artist Hokusai regarded as an icon in the art world. In the 1960s, the opening of many printing workshops in the country paved the way for artists who weren’t necessarily printmaking specialists to produce their own works, marking a departure from the artists that preceded them. This exhibition focuses on artists who produced work in the 1970s, including Yayoi Kusama whose immediately identifiable work has gone on show at the Tate Modern in London, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC, and at numerous galleries worldwide.