In conjunction with the exhibition Art without Heroes: Mingei currently on display at the William Morris Gallery, Japan House London is delighted to invite the exhibition curator Róisín Inglesby for an event exploring the concepts behind the exhibition and highlighting some of the key elements of the influential Japanese Mingei (‘Folk Craft’) movement. Originating in Japan in the 1920s, Mingei sought to spread the principle that beauty is inherent in handmade, everyday objects created by craftspeople.

She will be joined in conversation by Sam Thorne, Director General & CEO of Japan House London, who has contributed to the major new publication ‘Art without Heroes: Mingei’ by Yale University Press accompanying the exhibition, to explore Mingei’s origins, interpretations and contemporary implications. The conversation also touches upon the Mingei Film Archive project by filmmaker and producer Marty Gross, which restored and digitized archival footage on Japanese craft. Footage from this project is part of the exhibition at the William Morris Gallery, and a selection of the Archive’s short films will be shown at Japan House London in July.

After the event, guests are encouraged to visit the Design Discoveries exhibition in the Gallery at Japan House London, which will remain open until 20:30. Here, visitors can view Yanagi Sori’s Mingei cutlery on display alongside further contemporary design concepts.

The event starts at 18:30 and will last for about one hour.

About the speaker

Róisín Inglesby is curator at William Morris Gallery. She is a curator, historian and writer who specializes in craft, design and material culture — the objects that make up our world but aren’t usually considered art. After curatorial roles at the V&A, Tower of London, and Teien Museum, Tokyo, since 2018 she has been Curator at the William Morris Gallery in London, where she has curated exhibitions including William Morris and the Bauhaus (2019), Distant Fellowship: Morris and South Asia (2020) and Young Poland 1890-1918 (2021), which was awarded the AAH Curatorial Prize. Her main focus is on international Arts and Crafts movements, and she is the curator of Art Without Heroes: Mingei, a largescale reappraisal of the Japanese Mingei movement (opened in April 2024).