Installation view, Kotobuki: Auspicious Celebrations of Japanese Art from New York Private Collections

Kotobuki: Auspicious Celebrations of Japanese Art from New York Private Collections
Members-only Tea & Tour of Kotobuki: Thursday, May 8 at 4pm (free; RSVP required)
Closing Sunday, May 11, 2025
333 East 47th Street, NYC

This is the final week of Kotobuki: Auspicious Celebrations of Japanese Art from New York Private Collections at Japan Society before it closes on May 11. Explore the auspicious theme of kotobuki, or “celebration,” through an inspired selection of paintings, calligraphy, surimono, textiles, ceramics, and baskets dating from the 12th-21st centuries. Curated by Dr. Miyeko Murase, Takeo and Itsuko Atsumi Professor Emerita of Japanese Art History at Columbia University, this joyful exhibition offers a unique opportunity to view important but rarely displayed works from significant private collections in the New York City area.

They aslo cordially invite their members to join for a quiet afternoon tea on Thursday, May 8 as Dr. Michele Bambling, Senior Director, Japan Society Gallery, provides an exclusive private tour to appreciate these celebratory masterworks with her illuminating commentary. Share in the festivities with fellow art enthusiasts over tea and light refreshments. This event is free for members, RSVP required.

To learn more, click here.

Works by Sawada Hayato (b.1978); Photography by Ōtani Kenji; Courtesy Joan B Mirviss LTD

Giving Form to Color: New Work by Sawada Hayato
May 8 – June 2025
39 East 78th Street, Suite 401

Joan B Mirviss LTD is excited to present the long-anticipated international solo debut for artist Sawada Hayato, Giving Form to Color, featuring exciting new works created exclusively for this exhibition. Hailing from Kasama, Ibaraki, just north of Tokyo, Sawada creates ceramic vessels in the tradition of the Kantō region’s most renowned past ceramic masters, Kamoda Shōji and Wada Morihiro. Although Sawada never met either Kamoda or Wada, he shares these seminal figures’ unique approach to the unity of pattern, form, and material, leading some art critics to describe the three artists as forming an exciting new Kantō ceramic lineage.

Sawada’s unique forms—which can be angular and multi-planar or rounded and curvilinear—are further highlighted by the application of boldly contrasting surface patterns, which are themselves richly textured. The process for creating these works is incredibly precise and time-consuming. Sawada hand-builds his ceramic forms before slip-glazing unmasked areas and incising their surfaces. He employs a technique that he calls nama-zōgan, or “raw inlay,” in which he inlays his vessels with black slip prior to bisque firing. He then masks the surface and applies layers of glaze and slip-glaze. Occasionally, he employs an unctuous feldspathic glaze, which develops an organic, crevassed texture when fired. Each vessel requires multiple firings at specifically calibrated temperatures. Once completed, Sawada’s vessels come to life as three-dimensional abstract paintings.

In describing his approach to ceramic art, Sawada uses the language of classical music, another passion of his. Just as musicians bring centuries-old scores to life by infusing the music with their own contemporary sensibilities, Sawada creates ceramics that exude modernity while employing the ancient techniques of hand-building, slip glazing, and inlay, Sawada’s ceramics nevertheless exude modernity. Through the form, pattern, and texture of his ceramic vessels, Sawada seeks to create narrative unity: “The philosophy at the core of my ceramics is storytelling. The vessels that emerge from there, that spring forth from that seed… I invite you to experience the textures and colors that can only be achieved in fired clay.”

Although his father is also a ceramist, Sawada was first inspired to take up the medium of clay out of a desire to make something radically different. He is largely self-trained, having never formally apprenticed or trained in ceramics in a university setting. Still early in his career, Sawada’s work can be found in the collection of the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA in the United States and the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum in Japan.

The exhibition will feature over thirty works created exclusively for this show.

To learn more, click here.

Chang Ucchin, A Family Portrait, 1972, oil on canvas, 2.95 x 5.83 inches

Chang Ucchin: The Eternal Home
May 7 – July 19, 2025
Opening Reception: Wednesday, May 7, 6-8pm (kindly RSVP)
122 E 32nd Street

The Korean Cultural Center New York is proud to present Chang Ucchin: The Eternal Home, the first dedicated New York exhibition of one of Korea’s most beloved modern artists. A pioneering figure in Korean modernism, Chang Ucchin (1917–1990) developed a singular visual language defined by simplicity, playfulness, and a deep reverence for nature and home.

Through elemental motifs—trees, birds, the sun, the moon—Chang created poetic worlds of warmth and serenity. For him, the home was more than a structure: it was a spiritual sanctuary, where humanity and nature exist in perfect harmony.

A centerpiece of this exhibition is Golden Ark (1992), an exclusive collection published by the Limited Editions Club (LEC) of New York. Recognizing Chang as a profound representative of Korean culture, LEC collaborated with him to select 12 paintings from over 730 oil works he created. Meticulously reproduced to match the scale and color of the originals, Golden Ark preserves the essence of Chang’s vision. Its title metaphorically likens his legacy to a vessel of gold—precious, enduring, and guiding.

In today’s rapidly shifting world, Chang Ucchin’s work offers a quiet refuge. His paintings invite us to rediscover the warmth of home, the comfort of nature, and the possibility of joy in life’s simplest moments. By dissolving the boundaries between reality and the ideal, The Eternal Home allows us to enter the world he imagined—one of purity, balance, and enduring artistic resonance.

To learn more and RSVP, click here.

Images courtesy Kyungmin Park, Jinsik Yoo and The Korea Society

Sculpted Voices: Kyungmin Park & Jinsik Yoo
May 8 – July 31, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 8, 5-7pm (kindly RSVP)
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Fl

The Korea Society is excited to present their upcoming exhibition, Sculpted Voices: Kyungmin Park & Jinsik Yoo, opening May 8! Through figurative sculpture, these two Korean-born artists transcend language and cultural barriers to tell their personal stories and express emotions that resonate universally. By sharing their unique perspectives and introspection, they offer alternative interpretations and an opportunity for a more comprehensive understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Kyungmin Park’s artistic vision was inspired by her experience as an immigrant in the U.S., where she had to learn a new language and customs. This process of adaptation reminded her of the experience of being a child, which led her to explore a childlike state, characterized by freedom, creativity, and the ability to embrace new experiences without restraint. Park’s ceramic sculptures often feature childlike figures with expressive faces that convey a range of human emotions and experiences. Amorphous forms symbolize the boundless imagination of childhood, while the lines and colors represent the societal expectations and constraints of adulthood.

Jinsik Yoo works with clay to create abstract representations of bodily forms, sculptures that embody the layered nature of existence. Through his artistic practices, Yoo expands, alters, intensifies, and ambiguates features so that his sculptures resonate beyond the physical and depict social, emotional, and psychological complexity. Ambiguity in his sculptures challenges viewers to engage with the art on a deeper level, prompting them to ask questions about themselves and their own inner worlds. Yoo’s artistic inquiry centers less on offering definitive conclusions and more on exploratory thinking and questioning.

To learn more and RSVP to the opening reception, click here.

Installation view, KOGEI and Art

KOGEI and Art
Extended through June 20, 2025
16 East 79th Street

Onishi Gallery is pleased to announce the extended run of its Asia Week New York 2025 exhibition, KOGEI and Art, now featuring new works by acclaimed glass artist Akiko Noda. Known for her ethereal, kiln-formed sculptures inspired by the quiet rhythms of nature, Noda’s additions enrich this already striking presentation.

The exhibition celebrates the depth and diversity of contemporary Japanese craftsmanship, showcasing works across a range of KOGEI disciplines—including metalwork, lacquerware, ceramics, screens, and painting.

“KOGEI” refers to art rooted in time-honored materials and techniques, reflecting a deep commitment to precision, beauty, and innovation. KOGEI and Art explores the evolving role of KOGEI in global art and design, highlighting its distinct identity and its dynamic dialogue with Western conceptions of art.

If you missed the opening, now is the perfect time to visit this evolving showcase of contemporary Japanese craft in Onishi’s new Upper East Side location.

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

 

Installation view, Fluid Strength: The Art of Ink

Fluid Strength: The Art of Ink
Closing Saturday, May 3, 2025
65 East 80th Street

There’s still time to experience Fluid Strength: The Art of Ink at Fu Qiumeng Fine Art before it closes May 3! This remarkable group exhibition 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. By bringing together works from different historical periods and artistic approaches, Fluid Strength highlights how ink art navigates between tradition and innovation, bridging philosophy and artistic practice. Fu Qiumeng Fine Art invites visitors to explore the resilience and adaptability of ink, and its evolving significance across cultures.

In conjunction with the exhibition, they also presented a two-part artist talk series—Ink Art: The Past in the Present and Tradition Across Borders: A Transcultural Exchange—featuring six visionary artists who explore the dynamic relationship between heritage and contemporary expression in Asian and transcultural art. Whether you missed the live sessions or would like to revisit the conversations, you can now stream both events on their website!

To stream the artist talks, click here.

To learn more about the exhibition, click here.

Installation view, Takashi Seto: Moments of Arrival

Takashi Seto: Moments of Arrival
Closing Saturday, May 3, 2025
525 West 26th Street

Don’t miss the final days of Takashi Seto: Moments of Arrival, the artist’s first solo exhibition in New York, on view at Seizan Gallery through May 3! Showcasing fifteen recent works on canvas, the exhibition highlights Seto’s mastery of Yuzen fabric dyeing and Shippaku metal leaf techniques — the traditional craft methods he revives and reinterprets. Blending historical craft with contemporary themes, Seto transforms ephemeral materials into meditative works that explore heritage, symbolism, and time, balancing tradition with innovation.

To learn more, click here.

Photo: (Auster, left) ©Spencer Ostrander, (Leiter, right) Robert Freson, Saul Leiter, c. 1965

Special Talk
NEW YORK THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY AND LANGUAGE: Paul Auster and Saul Leite
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 6pm
Exhibition: May 7 – 17,  2025

Featuring:
Margit Erb – Director, Saul Leiter Foundation
Michael Parillo – Director, Saul Leiter Foundation
Siri Hustvedt – Writer
Sam Messer – Artist
Motoyuki Shibata – English-to-Japanese Translator, Writer
Pauline Vermare – Phillip and Edith Leonian Curator of Photography, Brooklyn Museum

The gallery also invites you to a special evening honoring Paul Auster and Saul Leiter—two artists who reimagined New York City in deeply personal ways through their work on Wednesday, May 7.

In commemoration of the first anniversary of Paul Auster’s passing, they welcome a distinguished group of speakers—close collaborators and longtime friends of the acclaimed writer: Siri Hustvedt, author and Auster’s partner; Sam Messer, celebrated painter and longtime friend; and Motoyuki Shibata, renowned translator of most of Auster’s titles in Japanese.

Though Paul Auster and Saul Leiter never met—Leiter having been born 25 years earlier—their words and images seem to echo each other. They were combined in the publication It Don’t Mean a Thing (The Gould Collection) in 2017. Both artists have built enduring communities of admirers, not only in New York but around the world, particularly in France and in Japan. Joining the conversation are Margit Erb and Michael Parillo of the Saul Leiter Foundation, along with Pauline Vermare of the Brooklyn Museum. Together, they will discuss the connections and resonances between the writer and the photographer.

The talk will be accompanied by an exhibition featuring selected prints by Saul Leiter, paintings and prints by Sam Messer, and portraits of Auster by the photographer Spencer Ostrander, Auster son-in-law. Together, they had collaborated on an acclaimed publication focusing on gun violence in America: Bloodbath Nation. (Grove Press, 2023). The exhibition will be on view from May 7 through May 17.

Copies of The Gould Collection Volume 2: Saul Leiter & Paul Auster (reprint edition) and recent issues of MONKEY New Writing from Japan will be available for purchase at the event.

To learn more, click here.

Keiko Arai, Zone B, 2025, sumi ink on washi paper mounted on wood panel, 38.2 x 41.3 x 1.4 in (97 x 105 x 3.5 cm)

KEIKO ARAI: INKSCAPE
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 8 from 6-8pm
May 8 – June 21, 2025

Also be sure to mark your calendar for their upcoming exhibition, KEIKO ARAI: INKSCAPE, on view from May 8 through June 21. This marks the artist’s first solo exhibition in the United States and features a wide-ranging survey of works created using a single pigment—sumi ink—on washi paper. Through experimental techniques that challenge traditional practices, Arai reshapes sumi ink painting, a practice with roots stretching back over a thousand years in East Asian art history, while exploring the expressive possibilities of monochromatic abstraction.

The exhibition features over twenty-two works from Arai’s ongoing series, including Zone and Now and Then. Zone presents contemplative yet playful abstractions, composed of biomorphic shapes that resemble organelles seen through a microscope or fragments of satellite images capturing isolated islands adrift in the ocean. While traditional sumi ink art is often defined by bold brushstrokes that express spontaneity and momentum, Arai takes a contrasting approach in this series. She begins by wetting washi paper with sumi ink, then masks selected areas using cutouts of various materials. This method slows the drying process—sometimes taking an entire day—resulting in forms with organic contours and rich, unpredictable textures. Through this repetitive and immersive process, Arai creates ink fields that are deeply personal and visually distinctive.

The exhibition also includes a series of paintings in which Arai combines sumi ink with unconventional organic materials—such as exhausted indigo dye to create brown hues, and bronze patina for green tones. Another series features sculptural works, where she constructs washi paper in dimensional forms mounted on traditional scrolls.

They look forward to welcoming you the opening reception soon!

To learn more, click here.

Courtesy Scholten Japanese Art

Binnie Meisho
May 1 – 30, 2025
145 West 58th Street, Suite 6D

Scholten Japanese Art is pleased to present Binnie Meisho, an exhibition of landscape woodblock prints and paintings by Paul Binnie, celebrating the release of El Capitan, the latest addition to his ongoing series Travels with the Master, opening May 1!

Binnie Meisho includes over 70 landscape oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, and woodblock prints, featuring scenes that Binnie depicted from his many travels; including his years in Japan where he honed his woodblock printmaking practice, to famous sites in the US and Europe that he visited while following in the footsteps of his artistic mentor, Hiroshi Yoshida for his Travels with the Master series, to images of his homeland, Scotland, and Black’s Beach in San Diego, California, where he now resides.

Explore the full collection of these exceptional works online by clicking here.

Installation view, Ishikawa Kyuyoh Exhibition, Kyoto

Ishikawa Kyuyoh Exhibition
Part I: April 18 – May 15, 2025
Part II: May 17 – June 14, 2025
Shibunkaku Kyoto

This spring, Shibunkaku is proud to host an exhibition focusing on the art of Ishikawa Kyuyoh, one of Japan’s leading contemporary calligraphers.

Ishikawa Kyuyoh’s works capture the essence embedded in words, drawing from the rich history cultivated in East Asia, and present it to us as a living expression. His calligraphy exudes a unique presence with its delicate yet overwhelming power. This exhibition is divided into two parts and is unprecedented in scale for our gallery.

Part I, starting from April 18, will feature representative works from the 1970s “Gray Era,” as well as his monumental series Tale of Genji I, consisting of fifty-five full chapters, which challenged classical literature while rejecting established calligraphic sentiment.

Part II, beginning on May 17, will offer a comprehensive overview of Ishikawa Kyuyoh’s representative works from each era, showcasing his artistic journey from the earliest creations to his latest masterpieces.

They warmly invite you to visit the exhibition and immerse yourself in the history and world of Ishikawa Kyuyoh’s unique expression.

To learn more, click here.

Installation view, Echoes of Unseen, Ginza

Echoes of Unseen
April 18 – 26, 2025
Shibunkaku Ginza

They are also pleased to present Echoes of Unseen, the solo exhibition by up-and-coming photographer Yamagami Shimpei. This will be the second time the exhibition has been held, and will feature only large-format works, a first for the artist.

While staying at SAGA HOUSE, Yamagami placed himself in the harsh winter of Saga, attempting to capture something invisible. The resulting works convey what the artist felt vividly deep in his heart, and resonate deeply with the viewer, allowing us to feel the breath of life that resides in all things.

In February, the exhibition was held at SAGA HOUSE and it is now showing at Shibunkaku Ginza through April 26th.

They look forward to seeing you there!

To learn more, click here.