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Discover Your Next Adventure at Songtsam Benzilan Lodge

Songtsam Benzilan Lodge view from outdoor patio

Nestled in an intimate green valley in the Shangri-la region at the junction of Yunnan and Sichuan, Songtsam Lodge Benzilan consists of 10 deluxe rooms offering a luxurious experience rich in local culture and natural beauty.

landscape

The little town of Benzilan was once one of the most important stops of the Ancient Tea Horse Road. Although the glory of the once charming trading post has gone, fortunately the surrounding countryside remains intact; traditional handicraft methods have survived commercial mass-production, leaving a glance into the history of this famous trading road. Dotted with farms, small temples and some of the most pristine Tibetan villages, the countryside here is an ideal place to experience tranquil village life, and appreciate well-preserved local culture and traditions. A short hike leads to more pristine Tibetan villages and original forests in the mountains with stunning views of the lush, deep Yangtze River gorge – a journey of true discovery.

Gedong

Of the many traditions in the Tibetan Buddhist calendar, the Gedong Festival usually takes place in winter with specific dates decided by the different religious sects. Held in Yunnan’s monasteries, this colorful festival consists of the Cham dance where performers put on masks and clothes that portray deities and ghosts to celebrate bumper harvests and pray for an auspiciousness new year.

To learn more, click here.

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Upcoming Lecture at The Preservation Society of Newport County Rosecliff

The Preservation Society of Newport County Fall Lecture Series
"The Celestial City: A Closer Look at Treasures Illuminating China’s Contributions to Newport"
Thursday, October 26, 2023
6:00pm – 7:00pm EDT
Live at Rosecliff and via Zoom Video Conference

In conjunction with groundbreaking exhibition, The Celestial City: Newport and China,  the Fall Lecture Series explores different aspects of the Chinese-American experience and the many ways life in Newport and America was influenced and enriched by people of Chinese heritage.

Presented by Dr. Nicole Williams, Preservation Society curator of collections and curator of the The Celestial City exhibit, and Dr. Bing Huang, Assistant Professor of Art History at Providence College, this second lecture highlights the dazzling artworks in the show that reveal the unsung contributions of Chinese and Chinese-American individuals to life in Newport.

Gain an insider's look as Dr. Williams and Dr. Huang tell inspiring stories about the Chinese artists, merchants, immigrant entrepreneurs and women suffragists who shaped the city’s culture, economy and politics. Dr. Williams also will discuss the show’s innovative curatorial process that engaged descendants, contemporary artists and scholars across multiple disciplines. 

To learn more and register, click here.

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Masaaki Miyasako: Living Dreams Opens Next Week at Ippodo Gallery

Masaaki Miyasako, Firework ‘Aqua’ (Shimane Prefecture), four-panel byoubu screen, 2023

Masaaki Miyasako: Living Dreams
October 26 – November 22, 2023
Opening Reception with the Artist on October 26, 2023, 5-8pm, RSVP required

Ippodo Gallery is honored to present Masaaki Miyasako: Living Dreams, the legendary painter’s premier solo exhibition in the United States. He returns to his signature Nihonga painting medium after leading Tokyo University’s special projects division for a half-decade. Miyasako's unique approach to line—almost verging on pointillism—draws on traditional Japanese techniques of portraying shadows and space to a profound effect. His pictures represent romantic visions of life, nature, and the change of seasons in East and Southeast Asia.

This exhibition features eight large paintings, one four-panel folding screen, and ten calligraphy and sculptures, all displaying Miyasako’s transcendent sense of the invisible and unspoken dimension, inviting viewers to enter the sublime and ephemeral world of tender imagination.

To learn more about the exhibition, click here.

To RSVP for the opening reception, please call or email the gallery.

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Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd. Presents New Catalog and Exhibition

Four Rivers from Eden: Works of Art and Paintings from the Islamic and Indian World Catalog and Exhibition

Four Rivers from Eden: Works of Art and Paintings from the Islamic and Indian World
October 23–27, 2023

This upcoming exhibition at Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd. contains a wonderful selection of Indian and Islamic ceramics including Iznik pottery and tiles, glass and paintings, as well as Ottoman arms and silver.

To preview the show, check out their new catalog here

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Newly Opened Exhibition and Upcoming Events at Japan Society

Products for Fluxus editions, 1964; Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY

Out of Bounds: Japanese Women Artists in Fluxus
October 13, 2023 – January 21, 2024

Out of Bounds: Japanese Women Artists in Fluxus is the first exhibition to fully explore the essential role of Japanese women in Fluxus, a movement that helped contemporary artists define new modes of artistic expression. Near the 60th anniversary of the movement’s founding, this show highlights the contributions of four pioneering Japanese artists – Shigeko Kubota (1937–2015), Yoko Ono (1933–), Takako Saito (1929–), and Mieko Shiomi (1938–) – and contextualizes their roles within Fluxus and the broader artistic movements of the 1960s and beyond.

Out of Bounds: Japanese Women Artists in Fluxus is organized by Midori Yoshimoto, Guest Curator, and Tiffany Lambert, Curator and Interim Director, Japan Society.

To learn more, click here.

Ryoanji

Ryoanji
Saturday, October 21: Preconcert Lecture at 7:30pm and Performance at 8:30pm
Sunday, October 22: This matinee performance will feature an alternate configuration.

Inspired by the Zen rock garden of the renowned Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, which John Cage personally visited in 1962, he composed Ryoanji (1983) using a non-ordinal graphical notation. Embracing Cage’s free-spirited approach to the score, composer/musician/vocal performer Tomomi Adachi brings his composition to life in a cutting-edge concert that connects two cities remotely: New York’s International Contemporary Ensemble will perform alongside musicians in Kanazawa City, Japan with Hitomi Nakamura on the ancient hichiriki woodwind and Maki Ota on vocals streaming live from a tea house. A lecture on the origins of John Cage’s fascination with Japanese culture, led by Cage scholar Dr. James Pritchett, precedes the concert.

To learn more and purchase tickets, click here.

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101 New Acquisitions Now Online from The Art of Japan

Shinsui (1898-1972), Enjoying the Evening Cool (171/200), 1922, woodblock print, 17.25 x 10.37 in (43.82 x 26.34 cm)

The Art of Japan has just posted 101 new works on their website, including seven of Shinsui's top designs from the pre-earthquake set of New 12 Images of Modern Beauties, a special exhibition of the complete set of 28 Murders by Yoshitoshi and Yoshiiku, a dozen early impressions of Kiyochika Landscapes (from an important Japanese collection), several fine Kuniyoshi and Sadahide prints, and moderns by Yoshida, Oda Kazuma, Hiroaki and others.

To view them all, click here.

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Gallery Exhibitions Closing Soon

Cho Yong-ik (1934-2023), Mountain, 1992, watercolor, 9 7/8 x 11 in. (25 x 28 cm), Courtesy HK Art & Antiques LLC

Two Friends: Tchah Sup Kim and Cho Yong-ik
HK Art & Antiques LLC
49 E. 78th St, Ste 4B, NYC
Closing October 19, 2023

Highlighting two Korean artists, Tchah Sup Kim and Cho Yong-ik, who were friends for many years and sadly passed away in the last year, this exhibition explores their artistic careers and lifelong friendship during a fascinating time when both Asian and Korean modernisms developed rapidly in the art world.

To learn more, click here.

Mirviss Fujikasa

Fujikasa Satoko (b. 1980), Updraft, 2023, stoneware with white slip glaze, 19 x 28 x 17 3/8 in., Photo by Richard Goodbody, Courtesy Joan B Mirviss LTD

TEMPEST – New Sculpture by Fujikasa Satoko
Joan B Mirviss LTD
39 E. 78th St, Ste 401, NYC
Closing October 20, 2023

This highly anticipated exhibition of new sculptures by the extraordinary artist Fujikasa Satoko showcases her latest body of work inspired by the wilder side of nature. Drawing from the stormy seas and restless clouds that have characterized the atmosphere of the past few years, Fujikasa’s powerful sculptures reveal a new dimension to her dynamic artistry.

To learn more, click here.

Onishi Kazumi Chido

Murose Kazumi (b. 1950), Nagatebako (Rectangular Document Box) titled Chidō (Telluric Motion), 2022, wood decorated in lacquer with maki-e (sprinkled metals) and raden (shell inlay), 5 × 5 3/4 × 11 in. (12.8 × 14.8 × 28 cm), Courtesy Onishi Gallery

ONKO CHISHIN
Onishi Gallery
521 West 26th St, NYC
Closing October 22, 2023

ONKO CHISHIN features work by Murose Kazumi, Japan’s leading master of urushi (lacquer), an art and craft tradition dating back nearly ten millennia. The exhibition draws on a dictum laid down by Chinese philosopher Confucius more than 2,200 years ago: “If you cherish tradition and use it to explore new ideas, you can be considered a master. Named a “Living National Treasure” in 2008, Murose Kazumi continues to explore fresh ways of expressing beauty while staying deeply rooted in tradition.

To learn more, click here.
INKStudio_1

Peng Kanglong, Burning Fire, 2023, ink and color on paper, 71 x 142 cm, Courtesy INKStudio

Grand Synthesis: The Extraordinary Flower-Landscapes of Peng Kanglong
INKStudio
Red No. 1-B1, Caochangdi, Beijing
Closing October 22, 2023

This debut solo exhibition of classically-trained flower and landscape painter, Peng Kanglong features the artist’s ongoing synthesis of the landscape and flower genres through eight monumental new works. This is the first time Mainland Chinese scholars, collectors and the art-loving public have an opportunity to see and experience Peng Kanglong’s extraordinary flower-landscape syncretic creations in person.

To learn more, click here.

Izzard

Kawase Hasui (1883‒1957), Evening Snow at Terajima Village, color woodblock print, 15¼ × 10⅜ in. (38.7 x 26.4 cm), Courtesy Sebastian Izzard LLC

Japanese Paintings and Prints: 1910‒1935
Sebastian Izzard LLC

17 East 76th St, 3rd Fl, NYC
Closing October 27, 2023

The first half of the twentieth century was an era of energy with new influences, styles, and tastes refocusing the Japanese print world. The man at the center of this revival was the entrepreneurial genius Watanabe Shōzuburō (1885–1962), whose publications form the greatest portion of the works in this exhibition. Deeply interested in Edo period ukiyo-e, Watanabe made it his project to rescue the art form, which had fallen somewhat out of fashion.

To learn more, click here.

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Upcoming Symposium and Reception at Charles B. Wang Center with Free Shuttle Bus Service

Symposium and Opening Reception
Rethinking Contemporary Ink Art Through Park Dae Sung
Wednesday, Oct 18, 2023
Symposium: 3-5pm,  Reception: 5-7pm
Free shuttle bus service: 1pm pick up and 7pm drop off

The Charles B. Wang Center’s fall exhibition showcases the transformative power of contemporary Korean ink painting through the masterful work of Park Dae Sung. This upcoming symposium brings together five esteemed scholars who will illuminate the diverse subjects encompassed in Park’s fascinating oeuvre, including calligraphy, landscapes, animals, and still lifes. Through in-depth analysis, they will offer fresh insights into Park’s artistic vision, shedding light on the rich tapestry of themes and techniques employed by this contemporary ink artist.

A complimentary bus service will be provided between Manhattan and Stony Brook, but RSVPs are required by this Monday, Oct. 16 to reserve a seat.

shuttle bus service

To RSVP for the shuttle bus, click here.

To RSVP for the symposium and reception, click here.

Park Dae Sung: Ink Reimagined is organized by Jinyoung A. Jin, director of Asian art and culture at the Charles B. Wang Center, with the special support from the Gana Foundation for Arts and Culture, as well as the generous support from the Korea Foundation.

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Thomsen Gallery Exhibiting Japanese Art at Frieze Masters

Gold-Lacquer Writing Box with Blooming Wisteria and Full Moon, Taisho era, 1920s, Japan, 1¾ x 9¾ x 8¾ in. (5 x 25.2 x 22.7 cm)

Thomsen Gallery is delighted to present Japanese art of the 20th century with a focus on art from the Taisho-Showa eras, 1910-1940.  On view will be Japanese screens, scrolls, gold-lacquer boxes, and bamboo baskets.  Be sure to visit their booth at D 07 if you are in London during Frieze Week!

Frieze Masters
October 11-15, 2023
The Regent's Park, London
Booth D 07

Preview Day:
Thursday, October 12: (11am-1pm), Preview Ticket Holders

Public Show Days:
Thursday, October 12 (1-7pm)
Friday, October 13 (11am-7pm)
Saturday, October 14 (11am-7pm)
Sunday, October 15 (11am-6pm)

For information about Frieze Masters, click here.

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Upcoming Zoom Gallery Talk hosted by Joan B Mirviss LTD

Araki Minol (1928-2010), Lotus, 1996, hanging scroll, ink and mineral colors on paper , 24 3/4 x 37 7/8 in. (image); Courtesy Joan B Mirviss LTD

Zoom Gallery Talk
Araki Minol: An Artist Between Worlds

Thursday, Oct 12, 2023 at 5PM ET (New York)

In this Zoom Gallery Talk hosted by Joan B Mirviss LTD, the life and times of Araki Minol (1928-2010), an artist who lived between many worlds will be explored. He was a prodigious talent who successfully bridged the painting traditions of China and Japan, nature scenes and portraiture, classicism and modernity, and later, the artistic styles that had taken hold in the East and West. Born in China to Japanese parents, Araki relocated to Japan as a young man and traveled the world for his professional design career. Though he exhibited his paintings in Asia throughout his life, Araki’s legacy is more firmly established in the United States, where major museums hold his masterworks in their collections.

Providing three points of view on the artist – university academic, museum curatorial, and private collector – panelists Claudia Brown, Matthew Welch, and David Frank and Kazukuni Sugiyama will examine Araki’s unique hybridity, both biographically and creatively, that laid the foundation for his vigorous paintings that not only synthesized these various influences but further revealed a highly original artistic viewpoint.

PANELISTS:
CLAUDIA BROWN, Professor of Art History, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
DAVID FRANK and KAZUKUNI SUGIYAMA, Japanese art collectors and friends of the artist, New York and Santa Fe, NM
MATTHEW WELCH, Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
Moderated by JOAN MIRVISS

To learn more and register for this free event, click here.

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