OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.- “The Unsettled Lens: Photography from the Permanent Collection” and “After the Floating World: The Enduring Art of Japanese Woodblock Prints” opened Feb. 18 on the first floor of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. These two new, original exhibitions feature artwork from the Museum’s permanent collection and many works that have not been on view at the Museum before.

“With almost 4,000 works in our permanent collection, we only have a small portion of works on view on any given day,” said E. Michael Whittington, President and CEO. “Special exhibitions like these give us an opportunity to showcase incredible works of art that we otherwise would not have a chance to display. ‘After the Floating World’ includes two remarkable Japanese artists whose work has not yet been on view in our current building. I think visitors will be surprised and delighted by this original exhibition of woodblock prints, one of Japan’s most famous art forms.”

Woodblock prints, popular in Japan from the 17th through the 19th centuries, are known as “ukiyo-e,” which translates as “pictures from the floating world.” “Ukiyo-e” artists produced prints in a variety of subject matter including actors in the Kabuki theater, folktales, mythology and landscapes.

“After the Floating World” focuses on two printmakers: Torii Kiyotada VII (1875-1941) and Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950). They were at the forefront of the early 20th century evolution of the “ukiyo-e” tradition into a style known as “shin hanga” that incorporated stylistic elements from the West. Kiyotada VII was born into a family with a long tradition of producing theatrical images, and his prints of Kabuki actors illustrate the rich tradition of Japanese theater. Yoshida was a popular artist in both Japan and the United States whose extensive world travels resulted in evocative prints of familiar landmarks such as Mt. Fuji, the Taj Mahal, the Acropolis and Niagara Falls.

“We have an incredibly strong collection of photography here at the Museum,” said Francesca Giani, curator of modern and contemporary art. “Looking through the collection, I was struck by the idea of the uncanny and the tension that grows as you spend time with some of these photographs.”

“The Unsettled Lens: Photography from the Permanent Collection” builds subtle tensions based on the idea of the uncanny as a sense of displacement, as a difficulty in reconciling the familiar with the unknown. By converting nature into unrecognizable abstract impressions of reality, by intruding on moments of intimacy, by weaving enigmatic narratives and by challenging notions of time and memory, these images may elicit unsettling sensations and challenge our intellectual mastery of the new.

“The Unsettled Lens” showcases new acquisitions in photography and photographs from the permanent collection, stretching from the early 20th century to the year 2000. The exhibition features artists such as Brett Weston, Ralph Gibson, Stan Douglas, Wynn Bullock, Angela Grauerholz and many more. Many of the photographs included in this exhibition have never been on view at the Museum.