Installation view, Nakamura Tomonori and Watanabe Chiaki

Nakamura Tomonori & Watanabe Chiaki
Closing Saturday, July 19, 2025
1601 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM

There’s still time to experience the living traditions and contemporary innovations of the Sado Island sculptural legacy through the striking bamboo works of Nakamura Tomonori and Watanabe Chiaki at TAI Modern—on view through July 19!

Both men attended the SADO School of Bamboo Art on Sado Island in the Niigata Prefecture in Japan in 2010, where they were taught by noted TAI Modern artist, Honma Hideaki. Drawn together by their explorations of transparency and linearity, both Nakamura and Watanabe are proudly carrying on the Sado Island bamboo tradition.

Nakamura Tomonori was a former IT engineer before he chose to pursue an artistic career. Enrolling at the SADO School in 2010, he studied under Honma Hideaki. While he was a student, he showed his work locally and regionally and won seven awards before he had even graduated. After graduating, Nakamura began to show on a national scale and was accepted into the prestigious 45^th Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition).

Ever the engineer, he would often use paper maquettes to plan the composition of a piece before even touching any bamboo. However, he has recently moved toward an improvisational conversation between the artist and material, creating his new series with only a general sense of premeditated scale and movement. Nakamura continues his explorations of geometric balance, taking his forms to new heights in this body of work. He says, “Compared to when I first started bamboo craft, I now focus on enjoying the creation process and feeling that sense of excitement.”

Watanabe Chiaki worked as a social worker for fourteen years before quitting his job and setting out to Sado Island. There, he studied under both Honma Hideaki and Kawano Shoko. Like his teachers, he finds inspiration in the natural world and extrapolates on that with his idiosyncratic lightness and precise angles. Most recently, Watanabe was the recipient of the award for Excellence in Sculpture Prize from The Next Generation Bamboo Art Prizes in 2024. He says, “The various forms of lines that I use as the source of my inspiration include wormholes that connected to various places that may exist in the universe, magnetic lines that represent magnetic fields, spirals, intersecting lines, lines that are made up of a series of spheres or circles, and lines that curl up into a ball.”

Be sure to catch this fascinating exploration of bamboo before it closes this week!

To learn more and view their online catalog, click here.

Sakaegi Masatoshi 栄木正敏 (1944-2019), No.8 IWASHIMZU plate 石清水プレート (detail), 2019, celadon glazed porcelain, H2 5/8 × W13 3/4 × D13 3/4 in. (H6.6 × W34.8 × D34.8 cm), signed M. Sakaegi at the back

Notes on Blue: The Art of Blue in Japanese Ceramics
July 15 – August 15, 2025
18 East 64th St, Ste 1F, NYC

Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. is pleased to present Notes on Blue, an exhibition exploring the soothing and diverse expressions of blue in Japanese ceramics opening July 15!

In Japanese art history, the color blue (ao) has an enduring legacy in both cultural significance and visual expression. As an island nation, nearly every region of Japan is bordered by the sea, making blue a deep source of inspiration in the physical landscape and the collective imagination. In the world of ceramics, the color blue offers a vast oasis of potential in visual expression, achieved through innovative and technically demanding glazes: most notably celadon and sometsuke (blue-and-white ware). Beyond these glazes, blue also emerges through other techniques such as neriage (marbelized clay), or in sculptural forms where color becomes structural rather than surface.

This summer exhibition explores the diverse ways in which contemporary and modern ceramic artists engage with the color blue in visually compelling and innovative ways, celebrating its beauty, material complexity, and legacy in Japanese contemporary art and art history.

Escape the summer heat and find tranquility in these works of art today!

To learn more, click here.

Wang Mengsha, Elegant Pavilion (detail), 2019, Chinese ink & acrylic on rice paper, 176 x 80cm

Wang Mengsha: Borrowed Shadows
July 10 – August 22, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 10, 6-8pm
120 East 65th St, NYC

Alisan Fine Arts is pleased to present the first U.S. solo exhibition of Beijing-based artist Wang Mengsha opening July 10. Known for her ability to blend traditional Chinese painting with a contemporary sensibility, Wang reinterprets the classic ‘xieyi’ style with bold colors, playful imagery, and a touch of humor. Her work often draws on everyday objects, elegant figures, historical Chinese garden settings and scenes from nature, echoing the landscapes and culture of southeastern China.

Wang describes her paintings as dreamlike and fluctuating—like shadows that flicker in and out of view. Rather than aiming for realism, she creates imagined spaces where objects and figures change in scale and perspective. Her concept of “Borrowing Shadow” reflects this approach: using recognizable forms to build a personal, poetic world inspired by Eastern philosophy.

Using a technique from traditional Chinese painting known as scatter-point perspective, Wang builds her compositions in a flowing, intuitive way. This approach allows her to move freely through memories, emotions, and ideas—rather than following a strict or linear story. Hibiscus Garden is a tondo filled with symbols of good fortune – birds, flowers, deer, scholar rocks and other dreamlike objects to invite viewers into a playful world full of curiosity and wonder. Enchanted Purple Gourd is similar, although in this piece there is a pair of bathing maidens as its central subject, surrounded by recurring characters and objects: a cartoon-like tiger, giant birds, roses, and as the title suggests, a vibrant purple gourd. Her art gently questions how we hold on to imagination in a world that often asks us to let it go.

Alisan Fine Arts looks forward to welcoming you to the evening opening reception!

To learn more, click here.

(L): Lark E. Mason Jr.; (R): Chinese-Subject Court Screen, Korean, 18th century (detail)

Discovering America’s Treasures With Lark E. Mason Jr.
Thursday, July 17, 2025
Lecture, 6-7pm & Reception, 7-8pm
Tickets: $45 Non-Member | $35 Member 
Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Ave, Newport, RI

The Preservation Society of Newport County is delighted to present a captivating lecture featuring one of our own Asia Week New York members, Lark E. Mason Jr., on July 17! Part of the Society’s esteemed Lecture Series, Discovering America’s Treasures with Lark E. Mason Jr. will explore how remarkable objects journey from the forgotten corners of private homes—walls, attics, and closets—to prominent museums and auction houses.

One of the nation’s foremost experts in Asian art and antiquities, Lark will offer a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the rediscovery and authentication of extraordinary works of art.  Drawing on his over 30 years experience as an appraiser with Sotheby’s, New York and his involvement with PBS’s “Antiques Roadshow,” he will share the stories of discovery that delight and inform about art, history and the human tendency to collect.

Be sure to join them for this enriching and insightful event!

To learn more and purchase tickets, click here.

(Top): Ochiai Yoshiiku, Picture of Men and Women from Many Countries (Bankoku danjo jinbutsu zue) (detail), 1861, Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne; (Bottom): Pixy Liao, Little Door Stopper (detail), courtesy of the artist, © Pixy Liao

Celebrate Asia’s rich artistry from early modern printmaking and feminist photography to timeless poetic traditions at the Art Institute of Chicago this summer!  Opening next week, The Dawn of Modernity: Japanese Prints, 1850–1900 traces Japan’s transformation during the Meiji era through vibrant woodblock prints that capture a nation in flux. Also debuting is Pixy Liao: Relationship Material, a bold and humorous look at modern intimacy and gender roles through photography, video, and sculpture. And don’t miss the final days of Japan’s Great Female Poets, on view through July 14, which celebrates the enduring legacy of Heian-era poets through exquisite Edo and Meiji prints.

The Dawn of Modernity: Japanese Prints, 1850–1900
July 15 – October 13, 2025

After almost 250 years of near-total isolation, Japan opened to international trade in 1859, following the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry and his steam-powered fleet in 1853. Foreign ideas and technologies quickly poured in, transforming cities like Yokohama into hubs of global exchange. Japanese printmakers documented these watershed events—often in panoramic triptychs influenced by photography and Western illustrations—depicting steam trains, modern architecture, and bustling streets while promoting the image of a modern nation in ascent. With the fall of the shogunate in 1868 and the start of the Meiji era, Japan embraced rapid modernization under the ideals of “civilization and enlightenment.” The prints in this gallery reflect Japan’s attempts to define itself between Eastern and Western influences and to become Asia’s modern empire.

To learn more, click here.

Pixy Liao: Relationship Material
July 26 – December 8, 2025
Artist Conversation and Performance: Saturday, July 26, 1-2pm

For the past 18 years, artist Pixy Liao (廖逸君) has collaborated with her partner, Takahiro Morooka (諸岡高裕, nicknamed Moro), on a series of staged self-portraits. These often funny photographs document the evolution of the couple’s relationship, examine the power dynamics between artist and muse, play with expressions of physical intimacy, and prod at conservative gender roles. Their collaborations have expanded over the years to include sculptures and installations as well as music, which they perform as the duo PIMO.

To celebrate the opening of Pixy Liao: Relationship Material, Pixy and Moro will join assistant curator Yechen Zhao in a conversation about the evolution of this artistic and romantic partnership. The conversation will be followed by a musical performance by PIMO.

To learn more, click here.

Japan’s Great Female Poets
Closing Monday, July 14, 2025

Japan has long celebrated the talents of its great female poets, especially from the Heian period (794–1185), a golden age of literature. Writers like Murasaki Shikibu and Ono no Komachi inspired legends that later became subjects of Nō and Kabuki plays, as well as woodblock prints. This exhibition features Edo- and Meiji-period interpretations of their stories—often using mitate-e, a playful device that reimagines historical figures through contemporary imagery—by artists including the renowned Hokusai.

To learn more, click here.

Midori Tsukada (b. 1972), Water Storage (Mizu Kura) #5 水蔵, 2024, glass, H16 1/2 x W20 1/2 x D13 1/8 in (H41.8 x W52 x D33.3 cm)

Summer Collection: Design in Glass
July 2025
35 N Moore Street, NYC

Soaking in the summer sunlight, Ippodo Gallery looks ahead to the cooler season with a refreshing new selection.

They are proud to present a curated collection of glass artworks—each piece radiating cool elegance and quiet sophistication for your interior.  The refined craftsmanship of these works bring brightness, balance, and a sense of calm to any space.

To view the works and learn more, click here.

Installation view, Eternal Offerings: Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Minneapolis Institute of Art

Eternal Offerings: Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Minneapolis Institute of Art
Closing Sunday, July 13, 2025

Don’t miss your final chance to experience Eternal Offerings: Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Minneapolis Institute of Art at China Institute Gallery before it closes on July 13! On view in New York City for the first time, this extraordinary exhibition features one of the most important collections of ancient Chinese bronzes outside of China. These awe-inspiring ritual vessels and animal sculptures—created for food, wine, and ancestral ceremonies—offer a rare glimpse into the spiritual and artistic traditions of Bronze Age China.

Bronze casting in China, which began over 4,000 years ago, stands as one of the greatest achievements in early metalcraft. During the Shang (1600–1046 BCE) and Zhou (1046–256 BCE) dynasties, the period known as the Bronze Age, ritual bronze vessels played a central role in ancestor worship, a cornerstone of Chinese spiritual and social life. Each vessel type served a specific purpose in ritual ceremonies and was adorned with intricate designs that symbolized power, spirituality, and cosmic harmony. Many were inscribed to honor ancestors, rulers, or to commemorate significant events, blending artistic mastery with historical record. These vessels, crafted using advanced casting techniques, were not only functional but also remarkable testaments to technological and cultural sophistication.

With more than 70 objects ranging from a wine vessel in the form of a double-owl from the Late Shang dynasty, 12th century BCE, to a celestial horse sculpture from the Han dynasty, 1st to 2nd century CE, this exhibition explores the diverse forms, functions, and symbolic meanings of ancient Chinese bronzes, providing a window into the spiritual and artistic essence of early Chinese civilization.

See these timeless masterpieces before they return to Minneapolis!

To learn more, click here.

Takemura Yuri (b. 1980), Group of Teabowls

UNFURLING FORMS: New Work by Takemura Yuri
July 9 – August, 2025
39 East 78th St, Ste 401, NYC

Joan B Mirviss LTD is thrilled to debut a new series of teabowls and sculptural works by rising ceramic artist Takemura Yuri (b. 1980), opening July 9. Following her sold-out international debut in 2017, Takemura now turns her attention to the passage of time, reflecting on life’s shifting rhythms through clay.

This new body of work marks a thoughtful evolution of her signature style. While her exuberant swirling forms and bold color palette remain, Takemura introduces textured glazes and weathered surfaces that speak to memory, aging, and impermanence. Expanding into sculpture, she explores twisting, branching forms that trace the arc of a life unfolding. For Takemura, working with clay is a meditative, deeply personal process—one that transforms lived experience into visual poetry.

In many ways, her new series reflects both the joy and pain that Takemura has experienced over the past few years, and the ways her aesthetic sensibilities have evolved in response. In addition to giving birth to a daughter, she provided full-time care for her elderly father, a graphic designer who had long shaped her appreciation for art and sensitivity toward color, at the end of his life. A resident of Kanazawa, she also witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, which resonated with her own experience caring for her father. She was particularly struck by the image of wreckage filling Kanazawa’s inner sea. Gazing out at the detritus, much of which was wood, she realized that even that had a past as something rooted and alive. She imagined its future, transformed by the force of the waves into a new form with its own beauty and energy. This is the inspiration behind her new body of work.

While she continues her focus on the form of the teabowl, she has also found a new avenue for expression in sculpture. This has given her an opportunity to experiment with forms and has inspired her to reconsider her understanding of functionality in ceramics.

Still early in her career, Takemura’s works have garnered numerous accolades and been acquired by prestigious institutions internationally. They can be found in the collections of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, among others.

To learn more, click here.

Hagino Noriko, Uchidashi Silver Water Jar, 2014, silver, 6 1/4 × 6 × 6 in. (16 × 15 × 15 cm)

Heated Colors, Hammered Forms: Female Metal Artists of Japan
July 10 – August 22, 2025
16 East 79th Street, NYC

Onishi Gallery is proud to spotlight the pioneering contributions of women to a traditionally male-dominated realm of kogei—metalwork once closely tied to the samurai—in their new summer exhibition, Heated Colors, Hammered Forms: Female Metal Artists of Japan.

Although metals are especially hard to handle, shape, and decorate, the five featured artists have each devoted a lifetime to the medium, using it to produce masterpieces that are every bit as expressive and beautiful as work in less obstinate materials such as clay or textile.

The exhibition features masterful creations by Osumi Yukie, Oshiyama Motoko, Hagino Noriko, Okamoto Yoshiko, and Otsuki Masako. Working in gold, silver, platinum, copper, lead, and unique Japanese alloys, these artists employ techniques such as casting, chiseling, hammering, and overlay. While each artist brings a distinct personal mode of expression to her work, all are united in their embrace and deep commitment to the time-honored traditions of Japanese metalcraft.

They invite you to experience these contemporary masterpieces for yourself this summer!

To learn more,  click here.