L-R: Jayashree Chakravarty (born 1956), Soaring at Akar Prakar; Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), Ichikawa Danjuro IX as Kusunoki Masatsura at the Battle of Shionawate at Egenolf Gallery; Late Eastern Zhou Bronze Garment Hook with Plaques of Jade & Gold, 5th-3rd century B.C. at Kaikodo, and
Patolu Indian Trade Cloth India, found in Indonesia at Thomas Murray
The following four galleries are participating in Asia Week March 2022 with online exhibitions.
Jayashree Chakravarty: Feeling the Pulse (in the pandemic year)
Akar Prakar
March 15-April 15
As explained by Roobina Karode, director and chief curator of KNMA, “Feeling the pulse and sensing all is well has become a preoccupation emphasized more than ever before, with disruptions and disaster that have drawn us to witness sudden, inexplicable loss, extreme vulnerability and anxiety all around. Jayashree has been seeking recuperative energies through her art-making, using grass and roots, seeds and mud, imagining sproutings of a new life from within the fertile tending of her canvas.”
View the exhibition, click here
Masterworks by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892)
Egenolf Gallery Japanese Prints
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) was the last of the great 19th century ukiyo-e artists, known for his early works of explicit gore, as well as for his mature works of transcendence and pathos. A consummate draftsman, he developed a unique style of representation and narrative expression after first closely adhering to the manner of his teacher, Utagawa Kuniyoshi. A master at portraying complex narratives, he could illustrate a scene at both the moment of poignant reflection, as well as at the explosive moment of dramatic intensity. Egenolf Gallery is pleased to offer a number of his most famous triptychs, including the Flute Player Triptych (Fujiwara Yasumasa Plays the Flute by Moonlight), widely considered his masterpiece.
View the exhibition, click here
The Ancients Among Us: Chinese and Japanese Paintings and Works of Art
Kaikodo LLC
March 15-25
The Ancients Among Us includes works focusing on characters drawn from antiquity, whether historically real, legendary, or figments of an imagination. A human figure mysteriously appears seated dead-center in the forehead of an otherwise typical gilt-bronze taotie mask. A dignified slender-bodied military official represents his class in a sculptural style and garb typical of the early 6th century while an aristocratic couple in kaleidoscopic color lounge on the lid of a kogo incense container, fashioned by the inimitable Nonomura Ninsei in 17th century Kyoto. Actual historical figures are immortalized in such painted images as that of the illustrious Zen monk Tōran Sōtaku, a contemporary of Ninsei and another of a Manchu noblewoman majestically sitting for her portrait in opulent formal attire. Writhing dragons on a late Zhou dynasty garment hook and a tiger captured in ink and color on silk, by a painter working centuries later, have lorded over the East and the West from time immemorial, their claim to antiquity without peer. And, finally, artists and craftsmen who have slipped into eternity are among us today through their enduring creations in all manner of media, a number of them represented in the exhibition.
View the exhibition, click here
Important Indian, Indonesian and Other Textiles and Masks: Inspiration and Interpretation
Thomas Murray
March 16-25
This Asia Week, Thomas Murray, who is based in California, hosts a display of important textiles and masks on his gallery website. For collectors with particular interest, he also has available a choice selection for examination by appointment in New York.
A number of the textiles are drawn from his new publication, Textiles of Indonesia, which presents an array of traditional weavings from the Indonesian archipelago and provides a unique window into the region's cultures, rites, and history. The objects comprise ritual clothing and ceremonial cloths that tell us much about the traditions of pre-Islamic Indonesian cultures, as well as about the influences of regional trade with China, India, the Arab world, and Europe.
Thomas Murray is currently also offering an exceptional exhibition of masks from numerous tribal groups, ranging from the Himalayas to Indonesia, even a Swiss mask from a remote Alpen valley. These striking images are crafted of a variety of materials, including wood, metal, and papier mache.
View the exhibitions, click here