Soil to Splendor: The Art of Wood Fired Ceramics From Japan
February 8 – 22, 2024

Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. is pleased to present their forthcoming exhibition, Soil to Splendor: The Art of Wood Fired Ceramics From Japan opening next Thursday, February 8th.

Yakishime, or, more precisely, ceramics that are unglazed wares fired at extremely high temperatures, stand as a testament to one of the most ancient methods of pottery production in Japan. The tradition embodied in these primordial wares continues unbroken to this day. This exhibition focuses on modern and contemporary interpretations of this primordial craft, where the essence of ash and clay is reignited through new forms steeped in tradition.

This group exhibition invites viewers to savor the aesthetics of “Earthen tastes,” or Tsuchi-Aji  through Yakishime ceramics from Japan. Exhibited artists include: Kohara Yasuhiro, Isezaki Jun, Sugimoto Sadamitsu, Mori Togaku, Tsujimura Shiro, Shimizu Keiichi, Yabe Shunichi, Tanimoto Kei, and more.

To learn more, click here.

Dragon medallion, China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), 16th century, silk and metallic thread tapestry (kesi), overall: 15 x 15 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm); Fletcher Fund, 1936 (36.65.33)

We welcome the New Lunar Year of the Dragon on February 10th and to commemorate this festive occasion, our local AWNY museums and institutions are planning an array of events and programs for all guests of all ages including lion dances, performances, hands-on activities, and more!

Throughout East Asia, this festive occasion is celebrated with a variety of traditions to encourage good health and prosperity in the coming year. While there are regional variations, the primary activities are cleaning one’s home, hanging red decorations for good luck, offering respect to one’s ancestors, visiting family, lighting firecrackers to ward off demons, gifting money in red packets to children and subordinates, and eating lots of food. Edibles that are thought to bring good fortune are fish, which is synonymous in Chinese with “surplus”; dumplings in the shape of silver ingots to ensure prosperity; and niangao, which symbolizes advancement in the New Year. Conversely, anything that might risk losing the holiday’s good luck, such as washing one’s hair or sweeping the floor, is avoided. This two-week celebration ends with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the New Year.

People born in the year of the dragon are considered charismatic, intelligent, confident and powerful, and they are naturally lucky and gifted. In everything that they do, they tend to do it to the best of their ability with high standards. Dragons also hold a significant place as auspicious and extraordinary creatures symbolizing power, nobility and honor and have, therefore, been widely depicted throughout the long history of Asian art.

Join the following events to celebrate this auspicious new year!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Celebrating the Year of the Dragon Exhibition
Saturday, February 3 – January 2025
Gallery 207
Free with Museum admission
Read more, click here

National Museum of Asian Art, Lunar New Year Family Festival
Saturday, February 3, 11am-4pm
Free attractions for all ages, including performances, chef talks, tours, hands-on activities, and more
Read more, click here

China Institute, Lunar New Year Family Festival 2024
Sunday, February 4, 2-5pm
Ticketed family festival with lion dancing, puppet performances, tea whisking and art workshops
Read more, click here

Rubin Museum of Art, Losar Family Day 2024
Sunday, February 11, 12-4pm
Hands-on art making and cultural demonstrations
Free
Read more, click here

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Family Festival: Lunar New Year
Sunday, February 11, 11am-3pm
Art and culture demonstrations by special artisans from Zhejiang province
Free with Museum admission
Read more, click here

Charles B. Wang Center, Chinese Paper Cutting Workshop and Fluttering Butterfly Performance
Sunday, February 11, 1-3pm Workshop and 4-5pm Performance
Stony Brook University
Ticketed events
Read more, click here

Zhang Xiaoli, Infinite Loop 江山无尽, 2023, Chinese ink and colour on silk 绢本水墨设色, 36 x 63 1/4 in. (91.4 x 160.7 cm)

Zhang Xiaoli: Whimsical Maze 张小黎: 清妙奇踪
Closing Saturday, February 3, 2024

There is still time to visit Fu Qiumeng Fine Art and experience the works of contemporary female artist Zhang Xiaoli in her inaugural North American solo exhibition Whimsical Maze 清妙奇踪.  This exhibition traces the poetic experiments of Eastern aesthetics intertwined with scientific concepts. Using the gentle and delicate technique of fine brushwork on silk and paper, Zhang Xiaoli constructs ethereal and wondrous parallel worlds, narrating realms of free interest amidst distortions and imagination.

In this recent work, Infinite Loop 江山无尽, Zhang Xiaoli draws inspiration from topology, notably the Möbius strip in topological geometry. This structure, with one surface and boundary, symbolizes infinity like an endless loop, embodying eternity and continuous flow. The artwork intricately combines elements like water‘s flow, fire’s intensity, wood‘s resilience, and stone’s stability. These elements intertwine with the Möbius strip‘s infinity and topology’s connectivity, representing the physical world‘s cycles of coming together and transformation. Zhang Xiaoli uses these interactions to explore the delicate link between nature and abstract concepts, creating a unified entity that blends the real and the ethereal, form and concept.

Be sure to visit to take in this painting and her other wondrous works before the exhibition closes this Saturday.

To learn more, click here.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Hayakawa Ayunosuke (大板ヲ持) holding back a torrent of water, Series: Ten Warriors of Amago (Amago jû shi-den, 厄子十士傳), 1854, ôban (36.3 x 25 cm)

LA Fine Print Fair – Part of Rare Books LA
Saturday, February 3 (10am-6pm) and Sunday, February 4 (11am-4pm)
Pasadena Convention Center
300 East Green Street, Pasadena, CA

Egenolf Gallery will participating in the LA Fine Print Fair, part of Rare Books LA, with another fine selection of original Japanese prints. They will also bring works that are not yet posted on their website, so be sure to visit their curated collection of ukiyo-e and shin hanga to see these in person.

Rare Books LA welcomes booksellers and bibliophiles from around the world to share their love of books, fine prints, maps and ephemera. They will also be hosting a series of talks at the event, all included with the price of admission.

To learn more and purchase tickets, click here.

Monden Yuichi, Wave Song, 2011, madake & nemagari bamboo, rattan, 21 x 25.5 x 12.75 in.; Deanne Kroll, Tibetan Bowls Music 2, 2024, ink on rice paper on wood, cold wax, 16x 23 in.

From Bamboo to Brush
January 26 – February 29, 2024
Opening Reception: Friday, January 26, 5–7pm

From Bamboo to Brush is a curatorial vignette that showcases the synergy between Japanese bamboo art from TAI Modern’s collection and contemporary Zen ink brush painting by artist Deanne Kroll of Raven Brushworks. The exhibit explores the shared principles of purpose, movement and expression, creating a compelling connection between these two diverse art forms.

Inspired by the nurturing ways of the raven, artist Deanne Kroll established Raven Brushworks in Santa Fe as a platform for her contemplative creative practice. “Painting has the potential to allow for deeper spiritual connection. When I paint, I invite my mind to unlearn what it knows. This process brings me into a state of inner peace, and this allows me to feel the essence of my subject.”

The exhibition features ink paintings by Deanne Kroll alongside Japanese bamboo art by renowned artists like Honma Hideaki, Kawano Shoko, Monden Yuichi, Nakamura Tomonori, Sugiura Noriyoshi, Oki Toshie, Shono Tokuzo, Watanabe Chiaki and Japanese Living National Treasure, Fujitsuka Shosei.

Be sure to visit for a transformative exploration of artistic expression, cultural fusion and shared spiritual experience.

To learn more, click here.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 芳年 (1839-1892), Flute Player Triptych 明治十五壬午季秋絵画共進会出品画藤原保昌月下弄笛図応需, 1883, ôban triptych each sheet approx 37.5 x 25.5 cm (76.5 cm)

Portland Fine Print Fair
Benefit Preview: Friday, January 26 (6-9pm)
Saturday, January 27 (10am-6pm) and Sunday, January 28 (11am-5pm)
Portland Art Museum
1219 SW Park Ave, Portland

Egenolf Gallery will be participating in this weekend’s Portland Fine Print Fair with a highly curated selection of original Japanese prints. They will also be showing works that are not yet posted on their website, so be sure to stop by to view their fine collection of ukiyo-e and shin hanga prints.

The Portland Fine Print Fair, now in its 11th year in the historic Fields Ballroom, features 14 top dealers from across North America and Europe and is the largest and most comprehensive print fair on the West Coast. Prints from Old Masters to contemporary emerging artists will be on sale and excellent works can be found in all price ranges. Admission to the fair, talks and tours are free and open to the public.

To learn more, click here.

Fu Qiumeng Fine Art
Zhang Xiaoli Artist Talk and Demonstration
Saturday, January 27, 2024
Artist Talk: 11am-12pm
Demonstration: 2:30-3:30pm
Live In-Person and Livestream Event

Join Fu Qiumeng Fine Art this Saturday for a special artist talk and painting demonstration by contemporary painter Zhang Xiaoli, whose exhibition Whimsical Maze is currently on view through February 3rd.

This unique event explores the Eastern tradition of Gongbi brushwork, elegant gardens and the symbolic language found in the Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden, as well as in Zhang Xiaoli’s work. Featuring works on silk and paper, the event offers a dive into a parallel world of ethereal wonders, the creative process and the history of Landscape painting.

Starting at 11:00am, Zhang Xiaoli will introduce the historical development of Green and Blue Landscapes 青绿山水, revisit classic masterpieces such as Gu Kaizhi’s The Nymph of the Luo River 《洛神赋图》卷 and Wang Ximeng’s A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains 《千里江山图》卷 and present her Lego Landscape series. She will also uncover Taoist influences, Chinese Feng-Shui and mystical elements in her work, as well as offer insights into the materials and techniques of the Gongbi painting method. This event is free and open to the public.

Then at 2:30pm, the artist will perform a live demonstration of traditional Chinese Green and Blue Landscape techniques, along with her signature Lego Mountain and Stone techniques. Participants will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the serene beauty of Gongbi painting. This hands-on session encourages attendees to explore and experiment with ink art mediums under the guidance of Zhang Xiaoli. This exclusive event is ticketed at $12 and limited to 18 people.

To learn more and sign up, click here.

Melissa Shook (1939-2020), Untitled (Cape Cod, Massachusetts), ca. 1971, gelatin silver print, 7 x 7 in. (17.8 x 17.8 cm)

MIYAKO YOSHINAGA
Melissa Shook: Krissy’s Present
Closing Saturday, January 20, 2024
24 East 64th Street

Closing tomorrow, Krissy’s Present features 30 black-and-white photographs made between 1965 and 1983 by the late American artist Melissa Shook (1939-2020).

In the mid-1960s Shook, a single mother, began photographing her mixed-race infant daughter Kristina – “Krissy.” Krissy recalls she could think of no other way to have grown up with her mother, holding the camera and photographing her all the time. “My earliest memories are of being photographed with my friends on the Lower East Side of Manhattan—running naked on the street or playing games in my friends’ apartments. My mother Melissa chasing after us—not interrupting us –clicking away with her camera, an extension of her.”

Shook later realized that taking her daughter’s images constantly was an obsession to make up for her lost childhood, given that her mother died when she was twelve, and she had amnesia regarding her mother and her entire childhood. Although photographing family members had been a universal practice, few photographers before Shook explored the depth and complexity of motherhood and childhood as artistic subjects from the photographer’s firsthand experience. From an infant girl with curly hair playing with toys to a young woman wearing a dressy veiled hat, Krissy was meticulously recorded growing over time, finally becoming independent and leaving her mother’s care and protection.

To learn more, click here.

The Korea Society
Jian Yoo Iridescent Hue
January 25 – April 18, 2024
Opening Reception: March 14, 2024, 5-7pm

Working in the precise and fine medium of mother of pearl — jagae in Korean – Jian Yoo’s iridescent art bridges historical and contemporary, nature and artificial, arts and crafts. Made of thousands of mother-of-pearl pieces layered in intricate patterns, Yoo’s art respectfully acknowledges the long tradition of master craft workers while reinventing the genre with distinctively modern sensibilities.

Jian Yoo is a contemporary mother-of-pearl artist residing and working between Korea and the United States. While studying Interior Design at Pratt Institute of New York, Yoo chose mother-of-pearl—or jagae —as her medium, inspired by her father, a master of najeonchilgi or Korean nacre lacquerware who ran his own studio throughout her childhood. Returning to Korea in 2013, Yoo embarked on pioneering the modern mother-of-pearl art while establishing her own studio, ARIJIAN.

Yoo designed the trophy for the first Seoul Smart City Prize, and her artwork was chosen as the Presidential State Gift for the South Korea-US Summit of 2023 and 44 other heads of state and foreign dignitaries. She held a solo exhibition at the Andaz Hotel Gangnam in Seoul, Lotte Hotel Seoul, Culture Object in New York, and was featured in exhibitions at, among others, Downtown Design Dubai, UNESCO Headquarter in Paris, and National Folk Museum of Korea, which also acquired her artwork. Jian Yoo has also collaborated with brands such as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Cartier, Blancpain, Girogetti, and many others.

Be sure to also mark your calendars for the Opening Reception on March 14 from 5-7pm at the start of Asia Week New York!

Please note the the Korea Society Gallery is open only by appointment. The appointment must be made at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled visit.

To learn more and make an appointment, click here.

Suzuki Harunobu, Searching for Fireflies, 1768, Clarence Buckingham Collection

Art Institute Chicago
By the Light of the Moon: Nighttime in Japanese Prints
January 20 – April 14, 2024

Whether as a darkened backdrop for action-packed figural scenes or as a dominant presence over unpeopled landscapes, Japanese printmakers have represented nighttime in various ways over the past several centuries.

In the earliest prints shown in this exhibition opening this Saturday, figures are the main focus of each image and darkness simply sets the stage. This is true for the mid- to late 18th-century works of Okumura Masanobu and Suzuki Harunobu, where a solid curtain of black appears behind each dramatic scene. By the 19th century, however, landscape prints were often dominated by the night sky—with or without a moon—and townspeople in urban settings or travelers in rural scenes were less prominent.

Over time, some artists became more adventurous and began to depict different seasons and moments during the day. In the prints by Utagawa Hiroshige featured here, he has set each scene at a specific phase of the night, such as twilight or midnight, indicated by the hues of the sky. By the 20th century, artists could express the various moods associated with nighttime by the way they represented how shadows were cast, the brightness of stars, the reflections of the moon on vast oceans or small puddles, and the isolation of lonely travelers. In particular, Kawase Hasui cleverly incorporated small amounts of light into otherwise dark scenes to produce some of the most haunting images in the history of Japanese prints.

To learn more, click here.