10 Buzzy Contemporary Asian Works of Art at Asia Week New York
ARTFIX DAILY
March 2016
Though Asia Week New York overflows with ancient Asian works of art, don't think there aren't plenty of contemporary pieces, too. Asia Week New York is all about mingling the old with the new and synthesizing the back-then with the right-now.
Take, for example, the contemporary ceramics Nana Onishi placed against 18th-century boiserie from Dalva Brothers, the venerable purveyors of fine French furniture. The juxtaposition of new ceramics and the wooden panels creates a dialogue that bridges centuries and cultures.
Here is a sampling of alluring contemporary works on view at ten Asia Week New York galleries:
From Gallery Japonesque (San Francisco): a striking sculpted fountain by Masatoshi Izumi titled Night Rain II (Stone Water Sound). Made from Swedish granite in 2016, it weighs more than two tons and measures about 4 by 7 feet.
From Dai Ichi Arts (New York): a stoneware oribe vase created by Goro Suzuki (1941- ) in 2002. Covered with spirals, the tall vase evokes early spring, with tender buds just about to burst into efflorescence.
From Onishi Gallery (New York): A covered jar made by Imaemon Imaizumi (1962- ) in 2014. Decorated with grapes and flowers, the jar was realized in the Japanese technique of iro-e (polychrome enamel painting).
From Kang Collection Korean Art (New York): An unusual work incorporating buttons from Ran Hwang. First Wind-CL (2013) brims with feminist nuances, hinting at the
implication of a globalized labor force composed mostly of women, many of whom are exploited.
From Erik Thomsen (New York): a dry-lacquer box with gold lacquer and inlays of gold foil and abalone shell. Made by Yoshio Okada (1977- ) in 2016, it combines traditional craftsmanship with an original contemporary esthetic.
From Joan B. Mirviss Ltd. (New York): A marbleized stoneware vessel made in 2015 by Ogata Kamio (1949- ). The artist's chosen technique is neriage, in which an assemblage of hundreds of paper-thin layers of colored clay produces a ceramic work with striated linear
patterns.
From Laurence Miller Gallery (New York): A beautiful distillation of a uniquely Asian viewpoint, Toshio Shibata's Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, 2013, at first seems to
break from the tradition of his photographs of evolving and altered landscapes. This striking photograph still embodies the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi and that Shibata reveals a visual grace in structures that are commonly considered inelegant, and in so doing changes the way we view our everyday world.
From: M. Sutherland Fine Arts, Ltd. (New York): Two large hanging scrolls entitled Floating Without End are masterpieces created by Hung Hsien (aka Margaret Chang). Painted in Chicago in 1970, the forms are abstracted visions of water and rocks realized on paper in ink and mineral pigments as if caressed by the artist's brush.
From: Kaikodo LLC (New York): Reflecting the landscapes and images of China's past, this stunning horizontal scroll, ink and color on paper by Mansheng Wang (b. 1962) titled Red Lotus captures Wang's technique of combining ink and color to the max.
From: FitzGerald Fine Arts (New York):Having founded one of the first contemporary ceramicist associations in China, 'Ice Blue Art,' Gan Daofu has established himself as a leading voice in this field. Opening and Closing, 2013, an exquisite porcelain painting, is a superb example of his work.
About Asia Week New York:
The 2016 edition of Asia Week New York offers an overflowing schedule of gallery open houses; auctions at Bonhams, Christie's, Doyle, iGavel and Sotheby's; exhibitions, lectures, symposia and special events.
To celebrate the Asia Week festivities, a private invitation-only reception, jointly hosted with the Department of Asian Art of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, will take place there on March 14.
A comprehensive guide with maps will be available at participating galleries, auction houses and cultural institutions, and online at asiaweekny.com.
Affirming the strength of interest from Chinese-speaking buyers, a Chinese version of the website is available at cn.asiaweekny.com.
Asia Week New York Association, Inc. is a 501(c) 6 non-profit trade membership organization registered with the state of New York.