Spring Morning in the Han Palace (detail), Qing dynasty, Kangxi reign, 1672, twelve-panel kuancai lacquer screen; black lacquer on wood core with carved and pigment and gold filled (kuancai) decoration, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art, F1906.42a–l

Sneak Peek—Under the Microscope: Conserving a Chinese Lacquer Screen
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
Online lecture, November 8, 12-12:40pm

Constructed in 1672 as a gift for Master Kong, a direct descendant of Confucius, the twelve-panel Chinese lacquer screen Spring Morning in the Han Palace had a long life before being purchased by Charles Lang Freer in 1906 and joining the National Museum of Asian Art’s collections. In this talk, objects conservator Ellen Chase will discuss various aspects of the screen as well as a recently completed, multiyear conservation project partially funded through a grant from the Bank of America Art Conservation Project. Examination and collaboration by conservators, scientists, and curators revealed multiple ways in which the vulnerabilities and subsequent degradation of the screen are directly related to how it was made and how it was displayed and stored by Freer and its previous owners. The screen will be the subject of an upcoming exhibition in July 2023.

Ellen Chase is objects conservator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art. She received her MA in art history and conservation from New York University. Prior to joining the museum in 1999, she worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was a fellow at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the British Museum.

Read more and register, click here.

This month JASA offers two informative and engaging programs.

Industry and Institutions: Woodblock Prints and the Meiji Cultural Imagination
Online webinar, Tuesday, November 8, at 5 p.m. EST
Alison J. Miller, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Art History and Director of Asian Studies at the University of the South (Sewanee, Tennessee)
Dr. Miller will provide an introduction to the woodblock prints of the 1870s and 1880s with a focus on how the images worked to create and reinforce social conceptions of Meiji values and ideals.

Philadelphia Visit
In person event, Thursday, November 10, 2-4pm EST
Join this in-person visit to the new exhibition Arthur Tress and the Japanese Illustrated Book and a special presentation of selected ukiyo-e prints from collections held in the University of Pennsylvania Libraries. Professor Julie Davis will be on hand to talk with JASA members about the project, as well as to show select prints from recent gifts, including works by Kiyonaga, Utamaro, Hokusai, Hiroshige, and others. The deadline to sign up is November 8.

Note: Advance registration is required for each event, click here.

 

Bang! K-Toom, Korean Cultural Center NYC
October 31-December 16, 2022

Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY) and the Korean Manhwa Contents Agency, branches of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea are pleased to present the Bang! K-webtoon exhibit introducing major Korean webtoons, to be held from October 31st to December 16th, 2022 at the Gallery Korea of the Korean Cultural Center New York (460 Park Ave, 6th Floor, New York, NY).

Korean webtoons are gaining huge following worldwide and are often the source materials for TV and film content as well, further fueling the “K-Drama syndrome.” Bang! K-webtoon being held in New York is all the more meaningful as the city is the mecca of pop culture, to present the globally beloved qualities of webtoons. This K-webtoon exhibition in New York, the mecca of world fashion, culture, and art, will provide an opportunity for New Yorkers to experience the charm and global appeal of webtoons as the source of so many of the contents we enjoy.

Mayumi Oda, White Tara

Sarasvati’s Gift: The Art & Life of a Modern Buddhist Revolutionary,
Tibet House US
November 4, 2022-February 10, 2023
Opening reception: November 4, 6-8pm

Known as the “Matisse of Japan,” Mayumi Oda is a painter, environmental activist, and Buddhist practitioner whose life reflects both the brilliance and shadows of modernity. Sarasvati’s Gift explores her tremendous artistic talent and inspiration drawn from her Buddhist practice and her commitment to healing the planet.

Sarasvati’s Gift, Mayumi Oda’s great gift—how wonderful to receive it in this beautiful, heartfelt, honest book. Sarasvati, the goddess of art, the Lady of the River of Beauty, is the cleansing divine flow of the waters of truth and beauty, and she emanates to heal and cleanse our stressed-out lives on our stricken planet through the undaunted art and golden heart of Mayumi Oda.” — Robert A.F. Thurman

Read more, click here

Found in Translation: Explorations by 8 Contemporary Artists,
Nelson-Atkins Museum
October 8, 2022 – August 20, 2023

We often hear of the risks of losing meaning in translation. But visual artists are skilled at converting ideas and questions into art. Found in Translation: Explorations by 8 Contemporary Artists reveals the richness and nuance that can be discovered through this process of change and transformation.

The art in Found in Translation is informed but not defined by artists’ individual experiences with immigration from places across Asia to the Kansas City region. It reflects their perspectives on the world and their places in it, shaped through a range of styles and media. These eight artists use their practices to explore evolving personal questions tied to place, memory, relationships, and other complex topics.

Found in Translation is the second exhibition in the Nelson-Atkins initiative KC Art Now, which celebrates the talent of local artists.

ARTISTS:
Heinrich Toh (born Singapore)
Hong Chun Zhang (born Shenyang, China)
Hye Young Shin (born South Korea)
Kathy Liao (Taiwanese American)
Noriko Ebersole (born Gumma Prefecture, Japan)
Priya Suresh Kambli (born Solapur, India)
Shreepad Narayan Joglekar (born Mumbai, India)
Yoonmi Nam (born Seoul, South Korea)

Read more, including a list of programs, click here.

In Conversation: The History of the Dungarpur Thrones
Online event: November 5, 2022, 11am CDT
Join the conversation as curator Kimberly Masteller and the London-based silver expert Wynyard Wilkinson discuss the history and artistry of the silver thrones of Dungarpur, India in this online event. This program supports the current exhibition Silver Splendor: Conserving the the Royal Thrones of Dungarpur, India.

Read more, click here.

Gold Lacquer Tea Caddy with Autumn Leaves, maki-e gold lacquer, 1990s, 3 x 3 x 3 in. (7.7 x 7.4 x 7.4 cm)

Golden Treasures: Japanese Gold Lacquer Boxes, Thomsen Gallery
November 4-December 16, 2022
Opening reception: November 3, 5-7pm

Thomsen Gallery is delighted to open their annual gallery exhibition of Japanese gold lacquer boxes dating from the 18th century to the present.

The exhibition features exceptional works with designs in maki-e, which literally means “sprinkled pictures” and refers to the technique of sprinkling powders of gold and silver onto wet lacquer, a uniquely Japanese tradition that developed in the Heian Period (794–1185).

Dreaming in Mino: The Art of Oribe & Shino, Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd.
Exhibition dates: November 1–December 15, 2022

Dai Ichi Arts is delighted to present the Winter group exhibition Dreaming in Mino: The Art of Oribe & Shino, which explores the work of modern and contemporary artists who practice in these two beloved styles of Japanese pottery from Mino: Oribe and Shino yaki.

Heralded for its patches of copper green, its variety of colorful gradations that the glaze type permits, and the playful decorations that are often employed, Oribe ware is an indispensable part of any Japanese modern art collection. The pioneering experimental spirit of Oribe lives on in modern ceramics in the work of the artists and potters featured in our winter selection, who are all at the forefront of carrying the tradition and spirit of Oribe into the future.

Shino-yaki was first fired during the Momoyama era (1568-1603) at kilns in Mino (present-day Gifu). Usually fashioned in stoneware, it is characterized by a thick yet porous and viscous glaze. Traditionally fired in anagama kilns, Shino-yaki can assume a dramatic appearance with a stark contrast between colors, or subtle, muted tones of white gradation. Modern artists take on this traditional glaze and play with its opacity, for the silica in the glaze may oxidize differently and produce different degrees of translucency. This exhibition presents the various types of Shino-yaki by contemporary artists and ranges from various shades of blue-gray, to a fiery rust-red to a clear, pure white.

A full online exhibition catalog is available on Dai Ichi's website, click here.

Instead of the touristic and commercialized old town of Lijiang, our retreat is located at a nearby small Nashi-ethnic village named Ciman, where the traditional way of living still thrives. Surrounded by pinewoods and a pear garden, Songtsam Lijiang Lodge offers spectacular views of the old town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and Lashi Lake. The hotel’s design is grand in appearance and has an interior layout in the style of a Nashi courtyard that is decorated with exquisite Hui-style stone sculptures. The property also exhibits a unique combination of Nashi-Dongba, Chinese-Tang, and Tibetan influenced art.

Songtsam Linka Lijiang dishes are dominated by Lijiang special hot pot, Naxi traditional dishes, and other representative Yunnan dishes. Spring-like Lijiang is rich in resources—wild vegetables and flowers in spring, mushrooms in summer, fruits in autumn, all of which enrich the dining table of Songtsam Linka Lijiang.

A special feature of this lodge is the spa, which includes four therapy rooms, as well as sauna cabins and is elaborately designed for traditional Kum Nye Tibetan massages. Leave time for Songtsam's one-day body & mind rejuvenation program. Our rejuvenation program is based on different techniques and offers a unique Tibetan experience of well-being: Food Cleaning, Hydrotherapy (Manna Bath), Himalayan Salt Body Scrub, Ku Nye Massage, and Packs with Tibetan herbs.

Read more, click here

Hitoshi Fugo (born 1947), Watchers-City 6, 2008 & 2006, archival pigment print, printed 2022,
15 1/4 x 10 1/8 in. (38.9 x 25.8 cm), Edition of 10 plus 2 APs

Hitoshi Fugo: Watchers, MIYAKO YOSHINAGA
November 2-December 17, 2022

Hitoshi Fugo’s photography not only captures his subjects with surrounding realities but also inspires a new set of perspectives through his conceptual approach. This exhibition features the artist’s lesser-known color series entitled Watchers consisting of a series of head-and-shoulder portraits of an anonymous person watching a scenic view from a distance. Viewed from behind, Fugo’s camera focuses on the person’s back, leaving the scenery blurry and abstract.

Between 1994 and 2008, Fugo photographed these portraits in universally attractive sceneries such as a waterfall and a cityscape. The former were shot in Kegon Falls in Japan and Niagara Falls in Canada in the same year (1994) and the latter at the Empire State Building in New York City (2004) and the Tokyo Tower (2008) in Tokyo. These portraits are presented in pairs in single frames: Kegon vis a vis Niagara; Tokyo Tower vis a vis the Empire State Building). These pairs seem to be random combinations but similar in gender and age. These contrasts, apparent or nuanced, urge the viewer to further engage in comparisons and the rear-view portraitures allow the viewer to enter into the spiritual realms surrounded by the spectacle.

Read more, click here

Zhu Da (Bada Shanren, 1626-1705), Flowers on A River (detail), handscroll, ink on paper.
Collection of the Tianjin Museum

The Nuts and Bolts of Chinese Painting: Connoisseurship,
Brushwork and Materials
Asia Week New York
Zoom Webinar, Wednesday, November 16, 2022, 5pm EST

Join AWNY for an illuminating and exhilarating Zoom webinar about China’s rich and sophisticated traditional paintings. Artist Arnold Chang (Zhang Hong) demonstrates the distinctive brushwork and painting techniques that comprise this ancient art form. Willow Hai of China Institute and Joseph Scheier-Dolberg of the Metropolitan Museum of Art will preview and spark our interest in two extraordinary Chinese classical paintings by noted masters Bada Shanren and Wang Yuanqi, respectively, which you can see in New York in March. Accomplished collector Dr. Matthew Edlund will provide insights into his experiences acquiring Chinese paintings over many years. AWNY’s Liz Hammer will moderate the program.

PANEL:

Fast-forwarding a Landscape: Painting with Brush and Ink
Arnold Chang (Zhang Hong), Artist

Meet Bada in New York, His “Flowers on a River” from the Tianjin Museum
Willow Hai
SVP, Director of China Institute Gallery
Chief Curator of the Exhibition

March Highlight: Wang Yuanqi's “Streams and Mountains without End”
Dr. Joseph Scheier-Dolberg, Oscar Tang and Agnes Hsu-Tang Associate Curator of Chinese Paintings, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art as Words, Painting as Politics
Dr. Matthew Edlund, Director, Center for Circadian Medicine and collector

Moderator:
Elizabeth Hammer, AWNY Production and Content Manager
Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden, Executive Director

To register, click here

Participant’s Biographies:

Arnold Chang (Zhang Hong), Artist
Arnold Chang was formerly Director of the Chinese Paintings Department at Sotheby’s and then Chinese Painting specialist at Kaikodo Gallery in NY. He has taught and lectured extensively, including at Columbia University, Arizona State University, Connecticut College, and the University of Colorado. Arnold received an M.A. degree from UC Berkeley, where he studied the history of Chinese painting with James Cahill. Chang also studied painting and connoisseurship with C. C. Wang for twenty-five years. He now works as an artist and is a full time literatus living in the wilds of New Jersey.

Willow Weilan Hai, SVP, Director of China Institute Gallery
Chief Curator of Flowers on a River: The Art of Chinese Flower and Bird Painting, Masterworks from Tianjin Museum and Changzhou Museum
Willow Weilan Hai, a native of Nanjing, has directed China Institute’s gallery since 2000. She has organized and presented many exceptional and important exhibitions, most from mainland China and many never shown previously in the United States. Hai holds a B.A. and M.A. in archaeology from Nanjing University. Among her many notable collaborative exhibitions are The Last Emperor’s Collection: Masterpieces of Painting and Calligraphy from the Liaoning Provincial Museum (2008, served as Chief Curator), Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road (2013, served as Project Director), and Art in a Time of Chaos: Masterworks from Six Dynasties China, 3rd-6th Centuries (2016, served as Chief Curator).

Dr. Joseph Scheier-Dolberg, Oscar Tang and Agnes Hsu-Tang Associate Curator of Chinese Paintings, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Joe Scheier-Dolberg has worked as The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s curator for Chinese painting and calligraphy for ten years. In that time he has reinstalled the galleries for Chinese painting twelve times, with exhibitions on topics ranging from calligraphy to landscape painting to the practice of reclusion. He has published on Chinese portrait painting, Chinese albums, and contemporary art, among other subjects. His current show is entitled Noble Virtues: Nature as Symbol in Chinese Art.

Dr. Matthew Edlund, Director, Center for Circadian Medicine and Collector
Dr. Matthew Edlund, M.D., M.O.H. is an internationally recognized and award-winning expert on rest, sleep, and body clocks who founded the West Coast Regional Sleep Disorders Center and now runs both the Center for Circadian Medicine and The Gulf Coast Sleep Institute in Sarasota, Florida.  He has collected Chinese and Japanese paintings since 1993.  He is the former vice-president of the Museum of Asian Art (Sarasota) and has donated works to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Ringling Museum of Art, while loaning art works to numerous museums, including the China Institute, the Norton Museum of Art, the Cincinnati Art Museum, Ringling Museum of Art, and others.

Elizabeth Hammer, Moderator
Liz Hammer received a B.A. from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. from Yale University, respectively. She worked for Christie’s auction house as a Chinese Paintings specialist in the early 1990s and again from 2007-2020. Liz worked in Education at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1995 to 2006 and focused on teaching and writing about Asian art. Now Executive Director of the Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden in North Salem, NY, Liz also advises private clients, prepares appraisals, and is Production and Content Manager for Asia Week New York as Hammer Fine Art Services, LLC.