Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan
Austria Pavilion Exhibition
13th,April 2025
Reviving Old Imari Project at Loosdorf Castle, Austria(ROIP Japan) will have a permanent exhibition at the Austria Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
During the exhibition period from April 13 to October 13, 2025, a 30-second video introducing the ROIP project will be looped daily on the large main screen inside the pavilion. The exhibition was realized at the request of the Austrian side. Additionally, at the Austrian Pavilion, visitors can view digital 3D images of Rosdorf Castle's ceramic fragments alongside the Habsburg family's collection.
The Austrian Pavilion's innovative architectural design is inspired by the five lines of a musical staff, with the wood sourced from the Vienna Woods, home to the Vienna Boys' Choir. It is well known that the 1872 Vienna World Expo, in which Japan participated as a nation for the first time, heightened the momentum of Japonism in the West. Although the domestic media does not seem to be reporting much on the overseas pavilions, there are high expectations from other countries for the World Expo to be held in Japan. We highly recommend visiting at least once during the exhibition period. When you visit, be sure to stop by the Austrian Pavilion and see the ROIP exhibition.
Ten years ago, at a small tea party, I met the Piatti family and saw the Imari porcelain shards. At the time, few people paid attention to the destroyed Oriental porcelain. An Austrian man said, “The destroyed porcelain reminds us of the sad history of war and causes pain in our hearts.” The Piatti family has carefully preserved more than 10,000 pieces of pottery, which carry such a sad history, as a symbol of peace. We would like to express our respect for their belief, as well as our gratitude to the many people in Japan who have shown their support through exhibitions and media coverage. We would also like to express our gratitude to the Austrian government for giving us the opportunity to share the story of these pieces of pottery, which are symbols of peace, at the Expo, a festival of peace.
For more details on the background of this art project, please refer to the journal published by Tokyo University of the Arts last year, which summarizes the project's history. For further information, please visit the following link.
