Courtesy The Korea Society

Home/Away: Heejung Cho, Simpson Kim, Jian Yoo
May 2 – July 31, 2024
By Appointment Only

How can a Korean artist—however one identifies as such—shape their own narrative in this fast changing, global environment? Educated, living, and working in both the United States and South Korea, three Korean artists ponder what home means to them by exploring the landscape surrounding them. Working in three distinctive media—sculpture, photography, and contemporary mother-of-pearl art—this group of young artists represent the international experience and diversity within the new generation of Korean artists and the fluid definition of one’s identity and home in the age of intercontinental living.

To learn more about each artist, click here.

To visit The Korea Society Gallery, please make an appointment at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled visit by contacting [email protected]

©Whanki Foundation·Whanki Museum

Whanki in New York
May 2nd – June 13th, 2024
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 2, 6-8 pm (kindly RSVP) 

The Korean Cultural Center New York is proud to present a special exhibition, Whanki in New York, commemorating the pivotal years of pioneering abstract artist Kim Whanki (1913-1974), who established his artistic legacy during his transformative time in New York. This exhibition pays tribute to his profound impact on abstract art 50 years after his passing.

This retrospective is uniquely significant in that it not only features 27 original artworks on loan from the Whanki Museum but also, for the first time, showcases private collections from New York acquaintances of Kim Whanki and his wife. Moreover, LG Electronics presents five digital artworks that reinterpret Kim’s creative universe through cutting-edge technology. These innovative pieces, crafted by emerging media artists using LG OLED screens as their medium, include crucial works from his New York period in the 1970s.

This exhibition delves deeply into Kim Whanki’s New York era, showcasing not only his artworks but also personal items such as diaries, photographs, and letters that offer a glimpse into his creative process. Specifically focusing on his works on paper—selected by the Whanki Museum as representative of his artistic breadth—the exhibit highlights his experimentations with different mediums such as The New York Times and traditional Korean hanji paper and underscores his meticulous efforts that defined his legacy. This retrospective serves as a meaningful reminder of Kim Whanki’s status as an undisputed trailblazer of Korean abstract art, reconnecting audiences with his legacy half a century after his final days in New York.

In the spirit of Kim’s own reflections, as noted in his diary from July 2, 1968, this exhibition encourages viewers to approach his works with new perspectives: “An artist must always be wary of being trapped by conventional views. One should always approach their work with fresh eyes, as if seeing it for the first time.” KCCNY invites audiences to experience the enduring resonance of his artistic spirit and rediscover his contributions to the world of art, reflecting on the timeless nature of his creations and the ongoing influence they hold.

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

Portrait of a Woman, photographer in China, 1870s, albumen silver print

Dragon Women: Early Chinese Photography
Through May 15, 2024
10 W. 18th Street, 7th Floor Penthouse
By appointment only: 646-838-4576 or 410-602-3002

We start this week highlighting the Loewentheil Photography of China Collection and their fascinating exhibition, Dragon Women: Early Chinese Photography, currently on view until the 15th of May.

Curated by Stacey Lambrow, this is the first exhibition devoted to the depiction of Chinese women in early photography. The over 50 photographs selected from the Loewentheil Collection include the first photographic portraits of Chinese women, most made in the 1860s and 1870s with many never before shown. The exhibition examines women’s place in society in the late Qing dynasty and their depiction in historical photography of China. It also presents work by the few known early female photographers of China.

Highlights include a rare photograph by the first known Chinese female photographer, Mae Linda Talbot, and works by Hedda Morrison, Isabella Bird, and Eva Sandberg Xiao. Masterworks include photographs by Chinese and international artists such as Sze Yuen Ming Studio, Pun Lun Studio, A Chan Studio, Lai Fong, John Thomson, and Thomas Child. The exhibition showcases the diversity of Chinese women and their experiences during the final decades of imperial China.

Be sure to visit the show before it closes in a few weeks!

To learn more, click here.

Superb Pair of Famille Verte Porcelain Plates, Kangxi period, AD 1662-1722, Diameter: 15 ¼ in. (39 cm)

The Philadelphia Show
April 26 – 28, 2024
Friday, 11am-7pm; Saturday, 11am-6pm; Sunday 11am-5pm
East Terrace of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

As a participant for almost 20 years, Ralph M. Chait Galleries are pleased to return to the Philadelphia Show happening today and throughout this weekend!

They will bring a fine variety of Chinese porcelains and works art, including monochrome porcelains of varying forms across the palette, and notably some examples of the rare and restricted Imperial Yellow. The gallery will also be showing many recently acquired objects and some coming from their collection years back presenting an opportunity to reconnect, and bringing the past and present together in many ways.

The Philadelphia Show, held annually on the East Terrace of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, showcases an outstanding selection of collectible antiques, art and design presented by over forty of America’s leading dealers. Learn more about the joy of collecting through educational dealer talks, show tours or take part in a self-guided treasure hunt. Come experience the amazing array of fine art, Americana, furniture, folk art, ceramics, porcelain, silver, jewelry, textiles, decorative arts, and feel the thrill of the hunt.

As always, Ralph M. Chait Galleries look forward to welcoming you to their booth and are always delighted to hear from you.

To purchase tickets and learn more about the Philadelphia Show, click here.

Selection of jars, vases, and vessels from Kim Hono’s forthcoming collection

Enchanted Objects: Kim Hono Solo Exhibition
Online and In-Person
May 2 – 16, 2024

Dai Ichi Arts is thrilled to present Enchanted Objects: Kim Hono Solo Exhibition next month. The show marks Kim’s return to New York with a new series of ceramic works.

Kim Hono has crafted enchanting ceramic objects that yield a compelling formula of joy, humor, abstraction and play. He now presides over a riotous and beloved body of work – which now spans over 5 decades – which offers a window into his remarkable professional journey as both contemporary studio potter and artist.

To view the online exhibition catalogue on Issuu, click here.

To learn more about the exhibition, click here.

Julie W. Chang (b. 1976), Lokhandaum, 2023, acrylic and resin on panel, 29.8 x 29.8 x 3.8cm; Forthcoming Light, Space and Time exhibition

There is still time to view Alisan Fine Arts’ two exhibitions, Lui Shou-Kwan: Shifting Landscapes and Landscape as Metaphor: Contemporary Voices, before they close this Saturday, April 27th!

Also mark your calendars for their upcoming Spring exhibit, Light, Space and Time, opening on May 2nd with an evening reception from 5 to 8pm!

Light, Space and Time
May 2 – June 22, 2024
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 2, 5-8pm

Light, Space and Time is a group exhibition featuring the work of California-based Asian American visual artists Julie W Chang, Summer Mei-Ling Lee and Zhang Jian-Jun. Influenced by the Californian coast and the Light and Space movement, Chang, Lee and Zhang approach light and space through a different lens and additional dimension. Informed by historical-cultural perspectives, their practices add a “time” element to the works in the exhibition to explore how the personal and historical affect the environment and our perception.

This group show opens at the beginning of May, in correlation with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. AAPI month recognizes the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture and achievements of the United States.

To learn more, click here.

Matsui Kōsei (1927-2003), Large broad-waisted Neriage vessel, 1989, marbleized stoneware, 13 x 14 1/2 in., (12860)

Layered Clay
May 1 – June 21, 2024

“Vibrantly colored layered clays are used to such an extent…that the conventional, narrow view of neriage has been shattered” said Hasebe Mitsuhiko former curator of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, 1990 when speaking of the layered clay works of modern-day Japanese ceramic artists. Their use of the painstaking technique of cutting, forming, and shaping layers of colored clay to form their visually mesmerizing ceramics has often been likened to creating three-dimensional mind games. This ancient technique, known as neriage or nerikomi originated in 8th century China, spread to Korea in the 12th century then to England in the 18th century before coming to its pinnacle in modern-day Japan.

This spring, Joan B Mirviss LTD celebrates the extraordinary achievements of three past masters who revitalized this ancient technique and creatively expanded the seemingly simple idea of building clay upon clay: Matsui Kōsei, Miyashita Zenji, and Ogata Kamio. Their artistry was impossible to achieve without their equally astonishing technical skills. Developed steadily over time, with patience and experimentation, their deft manipulation of clay enabled them each in their own ways to achieve dazzling color contrasts, unexpected surface effects, and gradations of textures and colors that complemented their vessels’ forms. Many of their artworks have been acquired directly from the estates of the artists, with the blessings of their families, and are obviously fresh to the market. In addition, work by seven other Japanese ceramic artists who were contemporaries of, or successors to, their innovative legacies will be displayed in Layered Clay.

To learn more, click here.

(Left): Shigaraki Jar, 16th/17th century, stoneware with natural ash glaze, 12¼ x 8¾ x 8½ in. (31 x 22 x 21.5 cm); (Right): Fukami Sueharu (b. 1947), Chū (Midair), 2023, porcelain with seihakuji glaze , 11 x 12 x 11 in. (28 x 30.5 x 28 cm)

Japanese Ceramics: Medieval to Contemporary
April 24 – May 18 2024

Thomsen Gallery is delighted to present their Spring exhibition, Japanese Ceramics: Medieval to Contemporary. This special show—devoted to a key component of the Japanese aesthetic tradition that is as dynamic today as it was 10,000 years ago—starts with a small group of stoneware vessels dating from the sixth to the seventeenth century with dynamic surface finishes that complement the vessels’ robust forms and rugged surfaces.

The show continues with work by ceramic artists in the Mingei tradition (founded in the 1920s) who played a key role in shaping the American taste for contemporary Japanese ceramics during the early postwar period, notably a jaunty vase with signature cross motifs executed in poured glaze by Hamada Shōji and a formal flower container by Shinkai Kanzan exemplifing the refinement of ceramics made in Kyoto, Japan’s ancient capital.

Contemporary Japanese porcelain forms an important component of their Spring show with masterpieces by two Living National Treasures, Nakajima Hiroshi and Tokuda Yasokichi III. Nakajima was admired for his beautiful celadon glazes while Tokuda was celebrated for his use of his family’s traditional glaze colors to create gradated abstract patterning applied to perfectly wheel-thrown, glowing vessels.

The show concludes with another group of outstanding works—including both vessels and pure sculptures—by Fukami Sueharu, an artist whom Thomsen Gallery has maintained a close connection with for more than three decades. His wheel-thrown or pressure-cast porcelain sculptures, finished in a luminous bluish-white glaze that originated in eleventh-century China, are admired in public collections around the world.

To view these pieces and learn more, click here.

Fukuda Kodojin (1865-1944), Moon over Azure Mountains, 1899, ink and color on paper, 18¾ x 13¼ in. (47.6 x 33.7 cm), mounting: 50½ x 18¾ in. (128.5 x 47.5 cm)

Our Gallery Spotlight shines this week on BachmannEckenstein Japanese Art based in Basel, Switzerland. Among their fine collection of Japanese painting, calligraphy, and ceramics from the 16th to the early 20th century is this hanging scroll by the multifaceted scholar-artist Fukuda Kodōjin (1865–1944). As the artist’s earliest documented work, inscribed with the date “January 1899: Moon over Azure Mountains,” the painting comprises of an expressive mountain landscape accompanied by a poem, for which he is well known.  Devoid of any human activity, the lofty view depicts an evening scene with a gnarled plum tree in the center foreground and a moon in the distance. His poem, composed specifically for this painting, conveys the sentiment evoked by the image and is translated below. It was later included in his 1912 anthology Seisho’s Mountain Studio Collection.

Here at dusk, where cranes return,
The sheer cliffs show plum blossoms.
Beneath them the azure of a cold pond,
Where a mountain monk draws water, moon-adorned.

This painting was exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Fukuda Kodōjin: Japan’s Great Poet and Landscape Artist exhibition (April 22, 2023–July 23, 2023) and published in the catalogue Kat. No 1. p. 27.

To learn more about this remarkable work, click here.