We are pleased to announce the 4th International Mokuhanga Conference, IMC2020 NARA, which will take place from November 18 to 22, 2020, in Nara, Japan, at the Nara Kasugano International Forum IRAKA.

Still renowned today as a center of production for the finest sumi ink, Nara is an ideal site for IMC2020. This fourth convening of the conference, titled Sumi-Fusion, will celebrate the versatility of sumi in woodblock printing, both historically and in contemporary applications across Japan and abroad. Additionally, it will explore the presence of black, and how it relates to 

Submissions for proposals for academic papers / illustrated talks* are now open. 

We are accepting proposals for both academic papers and illustrated talks. Please familiarise yourself with the information and guidelines below before starting the submission process. The deadline for submission of proposals is January 31, 2020.

Results will be published on March 15, 2020, and applicants will be notified. Deadline for submission of the full paper is September 18, 2020.

Note: Once a submission has been accepted, presenters will be required to pay the conference fee and register in order to present their paper or illustrated talk at the conference.

Checklist for Paper / Illustrated Talk Proposals:

• Papers/Talks* should connect to one of the listed topics suggested by the umbrella theme Sumi-Fusion, and its sub-themes Histories, Aesthetics, Intersections, and Futures.  For full details, see Nara2020 Theme.
• A proposal for a paper/illustrated talk in English or Japanese, limited to 3000 characters (300 words).
• Up to five images (if relevant) in support of your proposal.
• Applicant’s biography limited to 1000 characters (100 words).
• Applicant’s passport-size portrait, approximately 1MB jpeg
• The oral presentation of a paper/illustrated talk will be limited to a maximum of 20 minutes. Extensions will not be allowed.
• The full paper/talk must be approximately 2000 words and must be submitted by September 18, 2020.
• Non-compliance with the conference guidelines will result in rejection of the proposal/paper/illustrated talk.
• All paper submissions will be reviewed by a selection committee and by independent reviewers. 

* An illustrated talk can be about an artist’s work as long as it addresses how their practise links to one of the suggested conference themes, or adds to the field of mokuhanga today. An academic paper should also address one of the suggested themes, and may include reference to (rather than be mainly about) an artist’s own work, discussing it within the broader framework of mokuhanga and contemporary art.

Submit Your Proposal Here

Before submitting a proposal please review the checklist above, then fill in the form carefully. Please click SUBMIT HERE to access the online form.     Note:        

• to fill in the form, you need to sign in with gmail
• the form cannot be edited after submitting
• applicants may only submit once
• if you do not have a gmail account or have any trouble with the submission, please contact: submissions@mokuhanga.org