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Kazari directors have pursued their
passion for art and aesthetics since the
70's
Directors : Robert Joyce and Jo
Maindonald.
Kazari is widely known for antique furniture,
antiques, fine art and folk art from Japan and was lauded in
Architectural Digest as one of the best stores in Melbourne. In
2002 they were principal sponsors of SPRING FLOWERS,AUTUMN GRASS -
the Spirit of Nature in
Asian Art exhibition showing works from the
collection at the NGV (National Gallery of
Victoria)
The vision has widened over the last 10 years
and finally a seperate gallery, Kazari Collector was created with a
3 star rated cafe --to show sculpture and contemporary
art , selected decorative and Japanese fine art -
including a wide selection of C17th - C20th
screens.
The vintage Japanese fabrics department,
Ziguzagu at Kazari warehouse, is a mecca for lovers of textiles,
crafts people and fashionistas.
History:
Robert Joyce travelled widely in S.E. Asia in
the 70's, visiting and trading in the more remote islands of
Indonesia and with the hill tribes of the Philippines and in
Thailand.
Together Robert Joyce and Jo Maindonald spent
time in Japan and S.E. Asia in the late 70's- early 80's, before
dealing in Japanese antiques and art until China opened
up for trade.
KAZARI Japanese Interiors was founded1978 inHigh St, Armadale, Melbourne after a decade of
other minor ventures which included for Robert, the flea market at
the Carl ton Pram Factory in the early 70's.
Robert and Jo startedthe first MADE IN JAPAN store in Chapel St,
South Yarra; a cutting edge concept for its time, originally
conceived to showcase riding the wave of interest
in Japan in the postwar period. Fashion parades
were held showing the great Japanese designers of the period - and
work inspired by them which was sold in the adjacent boutique
SHO. The business was sold in the late 80's while
the partners refocused on antiques and art.
KAZARI Art and Antiques occupied the rear gallery with garden in
Chapel St and then moved to 290, Malvern Rd in 1995 as
KAZARI and the
Orientalist.
In 2006 they opened their new gallery KAZARI
collector and renamed the other two to reflect the difference
between the 3 stores.
kazari: Japanese ='to decorate' or 'to exhibit'
or 'to arrange with'
kazariis central to Japanese aesthetics:and is the
foundation upon which KAZARI was conceived; it underpins its
essence and aesthetic sensibility, while KAZARI widens the vision
beyond that of the physical and geographical limitations of Japan
and the region.
definition:kazari
The basic meaning of the verb kazaru is ‘to
decorate, to adorn’ also in the sense of ‘to exhibit’, ‘to put on
show’ .It has since developed to become an integral part of the
Japanese language and traditional aesthetics. Kazari does not
conform solely to the Western aesthetic of ‘fine art’; it can be
applied to categories of art such as painting, but encompasses
everything from ceramics to hair accessories. Kazari extends to
participation in social activities such as tea, literary gatherings
and seasonal festivals as these events transmute the ordinary into
the extraordinary. Kazari is an ephemeral sensation that through
surprise and splendour can take you out of the everyday into the
realm of the sacred.”
Edited from: Kazari:
Decoration and Display in Japan, 15th –19thcenturies British Museum 2003
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