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STATES OF AR T
Cool Japan TEXT: MATT ANTONIAK | PHOTO: COURTESY OF TROPENMUSEUM, AMSTERDAM AND MATSUURA HIROYUKI
When Japanese designer Yuko Shimizu made her first tentative drawings of Hello Kitty back in the early ‘70s, it is doubtful she realised she was creating the precursive character of a movement that would alter Japanese society forever. ‘Kawaii’ is the culture of cuteness that began with the anthropomorphic cat-human, spawned multi-billion dollar franchises, and has taken over the world of toys, entertainment and film. It is, however, just one of the plethora of Japanese cultural phenomena the world is obsessed by. We love Japanese design, for example, we watch the horrors, read the comics, worship the craftsmanship, and are devoted to the games. All of this, and more, is celebrated in the blockbuster exhibition Cool Japan, on show at the Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam.
After achieving record attendances whilst on show at the Volkenkunde Museum in Leiden last year, the exhibition has been revamped and brought to Amsterdam. The show now features the new centre-piece of a spectacular installation by renowned artist Sebastian Masuda; a kawaii dreamscape highlighting both the cute and uncomfortable side of the phenomenon. However, as a child of the ‘90s, I know which part of the exhibition I would be making a beeline for – the games arcade. To Messrs Yamauchi and Yokoi, I owe you so much. Their invention, the magnificent Game Boy, saved one small Midlands child from boredom on many an occasion; whiling away hours on the glorified calculator. At Cool Japan, relive your childhood, play Donkey Kong and Sailor Moon again, and succumb to a dangerous spiral of nostalgia: it will be worth it! A show that is fascinating for kids and adults alike, Cool
Japan is on at Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam until 1 September 2019
Matt Antoniak is a visual artist and writer living and working in Newcastle, UK. He works mainly in painting and drawing and is a founding member of the art collective M I L K.
BEER OF THE MONTH
Het Geheim Blond Het Geheim is a blond beer brewed with water drawn from a spring 159 metres below the Landgoed Rhederoord estate on the southeast fringe of the Netherlands’ Veluwezoom National Park. The country house at the heart of the estate, near Arnhem, is now a hotel with a finedining restaurant in its former coach house. The spring holds mineral-rich water, which is estimated to be around 4,000 years old and celebrated for its purity. The name Het Geheim translates to ‘the secret’ and refers to the long-hidden water supply. The other ingredients of this smooth blond are malt, hops and yeast, meaning it could comply with Bavaria’s 503-year-old beer purity law. The clean, easy-to-drink brew is, as its style intimates, golden in colour. Het Geheim has a light floral aroma and just a hint of herby bitterness. The label states that the beer meas90 | Issue 68 | August 2019
ures 25 on the scale of International Bitterness Units (out of a maximum of 120), making it accessible to most palates. It’s a well-crafted thirst quencher that can be enjoyed on its own and pairs well with light salads. The brewery that brews Het Geheim was founded in 2005 by Steve Gammage, a Yorkshireman who had moved to live in the Netherlands. Aged 50, Steve switched careers and become a brewer. His base of operations is at Rha and named after nearby Bronckhorst — roughly three kilometres away — one of the country’s smallest cities. The brewery’s range of products include a series of barrel-aged beers. Bronckhorster’s James Blond Belgian-style blond beer and the powerful BBC Four quadrupel have names with playful British references. Brewer: Bronckhorster Brewing Company Alcohol content: 6.0 per cent
TEXT & PHOTO: STUART FORSTER
Stuart Forster was named Journalist of the Year at the 2015, 2016 and 2019 Holland Press Awards. Five generations of his family have been actively involved in the brewing industry.