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Asia Week New York Shines a Spotlight on Contemporary Art

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Shota Suzuki, Gingko Leaf, 2023, brass, gold powder, H21 5/8 x W9 x D10 1/4 in (H55 x W23 x D26 cm); Courtesy Ippodo Gallery

When our Asia Week New York galleries open their doors to the public next month, from March 13–21, 2025, a vibrant array of cutting-edge Asian art exhibitions will take center stage alongside the treasures of the past. This year, contemporary showcases highlight the dynamic evolution of Asian artistic traditions, bridging history and modernity through bold innovation and thought- provoking themes.

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Gu Gan born (b. 1942), Red Autumn, 2003, Chinese ink and color on self-made paper, 19 5⁄8 x 19 5⁄8 in (50 x 50 cm); Courtesy Alisan Fine Arts

Among the many highlights, Alisan Fine Arts presents Reconstructed Realities, featuring the striking works of Gu Gan, Lee Chun-Yi, and Wucius Wong, whose innovative approaches challenge traditional notions of space and form. Fu Qiumeng Fine Art explores the expressive potential of ink in Fluid Strength: The Art of Ink, while visitors seeking an exclusive, in-depth engagement with contemporary Chinese ink traditions can arrange a private viewing at INKStudio.

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Inoue Yuichi, Hin (poverty, the naked state of birth, in Zenphilosophy), 1974, ink on Japanese paper, framed, 49.6 x 42.9 in (126 x 106.5 cm); Courtesy Shibunkaku

Japan’s artistic heritage is equally celebrated through exhibitions that embrace both classical techniques and modern interpretations. Ippodo Gallery presents Light and Abundance: Gold in Japanese Art, a luminous exploration of gold’s presence in both contemporary and traditional works. At Joan B Mirviss LTD, Beyond the Surface: The Unity of Form and Pattern places the intricate ceramics of Wada Morihiro in dialogue with Postwar Japanese Calligraphy and Painting, the exhibition presented by Shibunkaku. Thomsen Gallery showcases Japanese Modern Masterpieces 1910-1950, an exquisite collection of works that highlight the evolution of modern Japanese art in the early 20th century.

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Honma Koichi, Taking Wing, 2023, menyadake and nemagari bamboo, 22 x 18 x 11 in; Courtesy TAI Modern

Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. presents Mingei Modern, demonstrating the enduring influence of the Mingei aesthetic philosophy on today’s artists. Onishi Gallery debuts Kogei and Art, a remarkable exploration of genres of highly skilled Japanese artistic expression encompassing ceramics, lacquerware, and metalwork. The works in the solo exhibition of Takashi Seto at Seizan Gallery embody a masterful balance between tradition and innovation, while TAI Modern introduces From Timber to Tiger: The Many Bamboos of Japanese Bamboo Art, revealing the extraordinary versatility of this medium.

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Bohnchang Koo (b. 1953), “VA 23”, 2017, archival pigment print, edition: 2/10, 35.4 x 28.3 in (50 x 40 cm); Courtesy HK Art & Antiques LLC

Representing Korea, HK Art & Antiques LLC, displays Elegance and Simplicity: Bohnchang Koo and Geejo Lee, a dual exhibition celebrating these two Korean artists whose minimalist works capture the subtle beauty of historical Korean ceramics and objects.

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Chen Duxi, Contemplate-Flying into Fairyland, 2024, mineral color pigment on silk, 18 7/8 x 14 1/8 in (48 x 36 cm); Courtesy Fu Qiumeng Fine Art

With our dynamic programming and world-class exhibitions, Asia Week New York continues to be a premier destination for collectors, scholars, and art enthusiasts eager to explore the latest movements shaping the field of Asian art!

We look forward to celebrating the beauty and diversity of Asian art with you next month!

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Upcoming Exhibitions at Asia Society

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Howardena Pindell, Autobiography: India (Lakshmi), 1984, mixed media collage on paper. 18 x 20 1/2 x 2 in. (45.7 x 52.1 x 5.1 cm); Courtesy of the artist and Garth Greenan Gallery, New York

(Re)Generations: Rina Banerjee, Byron Kim, and Howardena Pindell amid the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection
March 4 – August 10, 2025
Patrons Preview Tour: Monday, March 3, 5:30-6pm
Members-Only Opening: Monday, March 3, 6-9pm

This exhibition reintroduces key works in Asia Society Museum’s Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of pre-modern Asian art through the lenses of three leading contemporary artists: Rina Banerjee, Byron Kim, and Howardena Pindell. Each artist has selected a number of works in the collection within which to situate their own new and existing works, approaching historic objects in the collection through their practices and from multiple cultures, heritages, and positions. Creating dialogues across multiple histories and places, these artists offer a range of new insights and entry points into the collection.

To learn more, click here.

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Hiraki Sawa, trail (detail), 2005, single-channel video with animation and sound, duration: 14 minutes; Asia Society, New York: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harold and Ruth Newman, 2011.18

Hiraki Sawa: Journeys in Place
March 4 – August 10, 2025

Japanese-born and London-based Hiraki Sawa creates video works that explore psychological landscapes, unexpected worlds, and the playful interweaving of domestic and imaginary spaces. His works traverse specific, often personal, landscapes to consider memory, migration, and displacement. Asia Society invited Sawa to frame his video trail (2005), held in the museum’s collection, with a selection of works from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, echoing the approach of the exhibition (Re)Generations in the museum’s 2nd- and 3rd-floor galleries. His selection of a small-scale pair of lion-dogs (flanking the video monitor) and bixies (mythical creatures) relate to the miniaturized camel who is the main protagonist of trail. Asia Society’s beloved elephant-headed sandstone Ganesha completes the display, bringing joy, good luck, and wealth to the many who venerate the popular deity.

Sawa’s trail is looped with his works fantasmagoria (2017) and pilgrim (2022), while the artist-made monitor box on view loops dwelling (2002) and elsewhere (2003). All five videos present abstracted montages of spaces that are intimate to the artist.

To learn more, click here.

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Marcos Kueh, Woven Poster—Homo Servantis Erotis, 2023, industrial weaving, recycled PET, 8 colors; Courtesy Galerie Ron Mandos, Amsterdam. Copyright © Marcos Kueh

Installations
March 4 – August 10, 2025

Also on view will be Marcos Kueh’s colorful, fluorescent tapestries that critically address the theme of eroticization and tourism, particularly on the island of Borneo, where Kueh was born and where identity and culture are commodified as touristic entertainment; Yoko Ono’s ongoing interactive art installation, Wish Tree, begun in 1996, where visitors are invited to write a wish on a paper tag and tie it to the tree; and Ai Wei Wei’s With Colored Vase, 2008, where he asks us to confront our values in relation to the past.

To learn more, click here.

 

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AWNY Preview: Fu Qiumeng Fine Art’s Fluid Strength: The Art of Ink

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C. C. Wang, Landscape 2, 山水 2, 1990, ink on paper, signed Wang Jiqian, dated gengwu, February 1, with one seal of the artist, wang ji qian xi, framed
37 1/4 x 24 1/4 in. (94.6 x 62 cm)

Fluid Strength: The Art of Ink
March 13 – May 3, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, March 14th from 5-8pm
Asia Week Hours: 10am-6pm, daily (otherwise by appointment)
65 East 80th Street, Ground Floor

Fu Qiumeng Fine Art is pleased to present the group exhibition, Fluid Strength: The Art of Ink, during this season’s Asia Week New York. Showcasing masterpieces from classical, modern, and contemporary artists, this presentation explores the profound philosophical connotations of water-based ink as a medium, rooted in the Daoist concept of softness, yielding, and resilience. In East Asian art history, water and ink symbolize Yin energy—gentle yet powerful, nourishing and sustaining all life. This principle is vividly expressed in Daoist thought: “Water flows without contention, achieving great deeds by simply being natural.”

Water’s ability to adapt, nurture, and overcome reflects an essential worldview that has shaped Chinese culture, art, and philosophy for centuries. From ancient calligraphy and landscape painting to contemporary expressions, ink art embodies this enduring perspective, flowing across time and geography—from East Asia to the West. This exhibition invites viewers to experience the timeless power and grace of water-based ink art, celebrating its role in connecting tradition and innovation, philosophy and artistic practice.

To learn more, click here.

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AWNY Preview: India’s Fascination with the Natural World at Francesca Galloway

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Zebra, Imperial Mughal, circa 1621, opaque pigments and gold on paper, folio: 13.8 x 19.7 cm

India’s Fascination with the Natural World
Mughal, Rajput and Company School Paintings
March 13 – 20, 2025
Exhibiting at: Les Enluminures Gallery, 23 East 73rd Street, 7th floor Penthouse
Asia Week Hours: 10am-6pm, dailly (otherwise by appointment)

In 1621, a zebra from East Africa was presented to Emperor Jahangir, who had never seen such an animal before and at first thought its coat had been painted. Francesca Galloway is proud to present one of only three known imperial Mughal paintings of a zebra during next month’s Asia Week. These rare animal paintings reveal the emperors’ fascination with the natural world.

Another aspect of Mughal painting currently under study is the loose paintings with inscriptions and ownership seals on the verso, made by the imperial librarians. This information sometimes tells a fascinating story about the history of a painting, as is the case with their A Farrier Shoeing a Royal Horse, attributed to Mukhlis, c. 1585. The painting belonged to Asaf Khan (brother of the Empress Nur Jahan and father of Mumtaz Mahal) during his lifetime, but was returned to the Imperial Library upon his death in 1641.

Preview these two paintings, along with other fascinating works in their online catalog!

To learn more, click here.

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AWNY Preview: Animals, Birds and Portraits: Works on Paper from India and Persia at Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch

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Bull Elephant chained to a Pipal tree, Sawar, Rajasthan, early eighteenth century, brush drawing in black ink on a yellow ground, heightened in orange, white and green, wasli laid down on paper, 13 1/3 x 17 in. (34 x 43.3 cm) painting, 13 4/5 x 17 1/5 in. (35.1 x 43.5 cm) folio

Animals, Birds and Portraits: Works on Paper from India and Persia
March 13 – 21, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 13, 5-8pm
Exhibiting at: 67 East 80th Street, Suite 2

Asia Week Hours: March 13-14 & 17-21, 10am-6pm; March 15-16, 11am-5pm (otherwise by appointment)

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd. is delighted to showcase forty-three exquisite court paintings from India and Persia in their 16th year exhibiting at Asia Week New York. Among the highlights is Bull Elephant chained to a Pipal tree, a large and extraordinarily energetic drawing. The artist’s powerful contours, parallel lines, concentric semi-circles and darkened joints capture the elephant’s volume and nervous energy, evident in his raised foot, flapping ears, and swishing tail.

Another standout is A portrait of a reclining beauty, a fascinating Persian interpretation of the Renaissance tradition of the reclining female nude, as depicted by Raphael and Raimondi. This exceptional work comes from the collection of the late Pierre Le-Tan (1950–2019), the late artist/illustrator famous for his New Yorker covers.

Preview these stunning works in their online catalog, out now!

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Artist Talk and Demonstration at Fu Qiumeng Fine Art

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Brandon Sadler, Courtesy Fu Qiumeng Fine Art

QM Talks : Artist Talk & Demonstration with Brandon Sadler 
Saturday, March 1, 2025 from 2:30–4pm
65 East 80th Street, Ground Floor
In-person and Live-streamed

Fu Qiumeng Fine Art cordially invites you to join artist Brandon Sadler for an engaging afternoon coinciding with his solo exhibition and New York debut, Along The Way: Transforming the Traditional. This event explores how East Asian culture shaped Sadler’s artistic journey and philosophies, particularly his innovative calligraphy practice, which merges Chinese calligraphy principles with the English alphabet. Through a showcase of assemblage, calligraphy, and lotus paintings, Sadler’s work embodies a global cultural exchange between East Asian art and African American heritage, creating an expressive and deeply personal world that seeks spiritual transcendence.

Artist Talk:
Brandon Sadler will discuss the cornerstones of his art— “making”, “storytelling” and “world-building”—and trace his evolution from a graffiti and mural artist (including collaborations with Marvel Studios’ Black Panther) to his fine artist endeavors incorporating symbolic East Asian visual elements. He will also delve into his diverse practice, integrating both found and created materials across various media. A brief Q&A session will follow.

Artist Demonstration:
Experience Sadler’s distinctive calligraphy practice, where stroke shape, stroke order, and flow—key principles of Chinese calligraphy—are reimagined within the English alphabet. Participants will gain insight into the evolution of this technique, from his Alphabet Design Series and Single Word Character works to his latest explorations. This session offers a rare opportunity to witness the dynamic and meditative energy of Sadler’s brushwork, revealing a new visual language that invites viewers to explore the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit.

They look forward to seeing you at this exciting event celebrating Brandon Sadler’s creative journey and cross-cultural artistic exploration. This event will be held both on-site and virtually via Zoom and RedNote, allowing audiences from around the world to participate in this unique conversation and demonstration.

To learn more and RSVP, click here.

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AWNY Preview: Love of Place: The Landscapes of Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) at Egenolf Gallery

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Kawase Hasui (1883-1957), Seaside Cottage, Himi, Etchu from “Souvenirs of Travels, Second Series”, 1921, Japanese color woodblock print

Love of Place: The Landscapes of Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)
March 15 – 16, 2025
Exhibiting at: The Luxury Collection Hotel Manhattan Midtown (formerly the Conrad), 151 W 54th Street, Sky Suite

Asia Week Hours: 11am-6pm (otherwise by appointment)

Egenolf Gallery is looking forward to presenting Love of Place: The Landscapes of Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) during this season’s Asia Week New York. Exhibiting at The Luxury Collection Hotel Manhattan Midtown (formerly the Conrad Hotel), they look forward to welcoming you to their Sky Suite to browse the curated selection of fine original Japanese prints in this relaxed setting with beautiful views.

Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) was the undisputed master of 20th century Japanese woodblock print landscapes. Over a career lasting forty years (1918-1957) the artist traveled throughout Japan, sketching and painting hundreds of scenes in every season. These were translated into woodblock prints by artisans whose now-lost expertise has never been equaled.

Hasui’s deeply rooted connection to the timeless beauty of Japan brings the viewer a distinct sense of place, whether the views are of a famous temple or an everyday village scene. His details capture a specific time of day or night as well as the exact weather and season, which combines with Hasui’s stellar design viewpoint that is unique to the artist. These images effortlessly create a nostalgic feeling for beautiful places that have been lost to development, but this nostalgia also lacks sentimentality. Similar to Hiroshige in the 19th century, his works have an effortlessly peaceful effect.

This exhibition draws from several private collections that Egenolf Gallery has helped to assemble through our decades of specializing in this artist, and they are pleased to feature early edition works in pristine condition, including a number of pre-earthquake (pre-1923) works. Landscapes by Hasui are becoming more scarce and at the same time more sought-after by collectors in both Japan and the west, leading to scarcity and still-climbing prices.

They look forward to welcoming you soon!

To learn more, click here.

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AWNY Preview: Mingei Modern at Dai ichi Arts, Ltd.

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Fujimoto Yoshimichi (Nodo), Small Covered Jar

Mingei Modern: Japanese Ceramics, Aesthetics, and Practice
March 13 – 21, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 13 from 5-7pm
Asia Week Hours: 11am-5pm, daily (otherwise by appointment)
18 East 64th Street, Suite 1F

On the occasion of Asia Week New York, Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. is delighted to present Mingei Modern, a curated selection of significant ceramic, textile, and painted works by the pioneers of the Mingei Movement in 20th century Japan.  Exhibited artists include Kawai Kanjiro, Hamada Shoji, Bernard Leach, Shimaoka Tatsuzo, Murata Gen, Munakata Shiko, Serizawa Keisuke, and others.

Over a century ago, the Japanese term Mingei was a direct translation of “crafts for ordinary people” (minshuteki kogei). Mingei was adopted by philosopher and potter Yanagi Sōetsu to define a now-revered folk-craft movement in Japan that celebrated the beauty of anonymous, utilitarian craftsmanship. The movement values simplicity, humility, and natural grace, challenging the Western focus on individual authorship and historical narrative.

Despite the Mingei Movement’s emphasis on anonymity, its movement has paradoxically elevated figures such as Yanagi Sōetsu, Bernard Leach, Kawai Kanjirō, and Hamada Shōji as its key proponents. This exhibition examines the tension between Mingei’s ideals and its legacy, inviting viewers to closely examine how the ceramic objects of the Mingei Movement embody its philosophy and why their forms remain profoundly beautiful today.

They look forward to welcoming you soon to their gallery during Asia Week!

To learn more and RSVP, click here.

 

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Exhibitions Closing Soon at Seizan Gallery

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Installation view, Miné Okubo: Portraits, Seizan Gallery, New York

Miné Okubo: Portraits
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Life Studies: Vincent Chong, Aya Fujioka, Alex Ito, Charlie Mai, Homer Shew
Closing Saturday, March 1, 2025
525 West 26th Street

There’s still time to experience Seizan Gallery‘s two captivating exhibitions, Miné Okubo: Portraits and Life Studies before they close on Saturday, March 1!

Miné Okubo: Portraits is the gallery’s first solo exhibition featuring work by one of the most influential Japanese-American artists of the 20th century. Born in 1912 in Riverside, California, Okubo gained early success and remained prolific until her death in 2001. She is best known for Citizen 13660, a memoir documenting her experience in WWII Japanese-American internment camps. After her release from Topaz Camp in 1944, she moved to New York, working as a commercial illustrator while continuing her painting practice. Portraits—especially of women and children—remained a central focus of her work, with eleven portraits from the late 1940s featured in this exhibit. These bold, powerful works share stylistic connections with her earlier charcoal drawings from the internment period, which are also displayed in the gallery. While her camp drawings often convey the despair and trauma of the incarcerated, the later portraits—rendered in colorful pastel—capture energy, strength, and compassion.

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Installation view, Life Studies: Vincent Chong, Aya Fujioka, Alex Ito, Charlie Mai, Homer Shew, Seizan Gallery, New York

LIFE STUDIES is a group exhibition featuring works by five emerging artists—Vincent Chong, Aya Fujioka, Alex Ito, Charlie Mai, and Homer Shew—that explores the diverse varieties of contemporary life and identity as experienced by individuals of Asian descent and diaspora in New York and beyond.

To learn more about both shows, click here.

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Brooklyn Museum’s New Exhibition

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Unknown maker, Tea Caddy, ca. 1698, glazed earthenware, Brooklyn Museum, purchased with funds given by anonymous donors, 64.3.4a-b, photo: Brooklyn Museum

Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200
February 28, 2025 – February 22, 2026
Curator-led Member Tour: March 20, 2025, 6–7:30pm
Decorative Arts and Design Galleries, 4th Floor

From groundbreaking early acquisitions to striking new additions, the Brooklyn Museum’s collection has always championed artists and artworks that catalyze imaginative storytelling and brave conversations. As they ring in their 200th anniversary, Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200 celebrates this unique legacy. Comprising three chapters that boast both longtime favorites and brand-new standouts, the exhibition brings fresh narratives to the fore while exploring the collection’s rich history and future evolution.

Brooklyn Made is an homage to art and design created in the borough from the 17th century to today. Beginning with a pair of Delaware youth moccasins that acknowledge the land’s original inhabitants, this chapter journeys through time to spotlight works by active Brooklyn artists such as KAWS, Duke Riley, and Tourmaline. Building the Brooklyn Museum and Its Collection features transformational artworks and archival materials that trace the development of the collection as well as the Beaux-Arts building that houses it. Gifts of Art in Honor of the 200th showcases extraordinary contemporary works—paintings, photographs, video, sculpture, ceramics, and more—given to the Museum by valued donors in honor of their bicentennial. Exemplary pieces by well-established artists such as Julie Mehretu, Robert Frank, Alex Katz, and Coco Fusco are joined by contributions from influential artists working today, many in Brooklyn. Telling the Museum’s story along with their own, these works reveal how the collection continues to reflect our changing world.

To learn more and view upcoming related programs, click here.

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