ASIA WEEK

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.

Japan Society
Fluxfilms: An Evening of Experimental Shorts with Jeffrey Perkins and Midori Yoshimoto
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
7:00 pm
Ticketed In-Person Event

Presented in collaboration with Japan Society Gallery’s current exhibition, Out of Bounds: Japanese Women Artists in Fluxus, on display until this Sunday, the 21st, a rare evening of films from the 1960s Fluxus movement will be screened this Wednesday evening followed by a conversation with Fluxus filmmaker Jeffrey Perkins and Out of Bounds guest curator Midori Yoshimoto.

Spanning from the absurd to the avant garde, and ranging from 10 seconds to 10 minutes in length, Fluxus’ films are unique experimental ephemera created by many of the key global voices instrumental to the Fluxus revolution, with filmmakers including Nam June Paik, George Maciunas and Yoko Ono.

Join them in celebrating a radical artistic spirit that still resonates 60 years later and enjoy free admission to the exhibit before the screening.

To learn more and purchase tickets, click here.

B.S.P.I./Getty Images; Courtesy Asia Society

From Meiji to Now: The Making of Modern Japan
Wednesday, January 17, 6:30-8pm
Asia Society
725 Park Avenue, NYC

In associated with Asia Society’s recent exhibition, Meiji Modern: Fifty Years of New Japan, which reevaluated a seminal era of turmoil, creativity, and transformation in Japan spanning the mid-nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries, this in-person discussion will focus on the significance of the Meiji Restoration and the transformations in politics, society, and culture Japan experienced during this time and their relevance to the contemporary era. The talk will further examine the parallels and continuity between the two periods of transformation and explore their implications for the region as well as the wider world.

Opening remarks will be be made by Dr. Yasufumi Nakamori, Director of Asia Society Museum and Vice President of Arts and Culture.

Speakers will include Dr. Chelsea Foxwell, Associate Professor of Art History, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and the College, and Director, Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago; Dr. Carol Gluck, George Sansom Professor Emerita of History at Columbia University; Dr. Takako Hikotani, senior fellow with the Asia Society Policy Institute in Tokyo; and Dr. Paul Sheard, economist and author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Power of Money.

To learn more and purchase your tickets, click here.

Photo by Simon Cherry

The Winter Show
January 19 – 28, 2024
Park Avenue Armory
643 Park Avenue, NYC

Celebrating their 70th Anniversary this month,  The Winter Show will include three of our Asia Week New York members — Ralph M. Chait Galleries Inc., Joan B Mirviss LTD, and Thomsen Gallery.  On view from January 19th  through the 28th, Chait Galleries will be showing Fine Antique Chinese Porcelain and Artworks in Booth D7, Joan B Mirviss will be exhibiting Taking Space, Making Space: Japanese Women Ceramic Artists in Booth E5, and Thomsen Gallery will be displaying Japanese Paintings and Works of Art, including Antique and Modern Folding Screens, Scroll Paintings, Bamboo Baskets, Ceramics, and Gold Lacquer Boxes in Booth C6.

AWNY is also pleased to partner with The Winter Show on the panel discussion A Collecting Dynasty: The Rockefeller Family to be held on Saturday, January 20th. This engaging conversation brings together three expert panelists, moderated by Joan B Mirviss, and explores how the Rockefeller family’s lasting contributions to the world of art and antiques in many ways epitomize the pinnacle of patronage in the country. Due to an overwhelming response, this program is, unfortunately, now full, but stay tuned as we will post the full discussion online in our ‘Webinars and Videos’ section of this site in the near future.

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring many of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts. The Fair was established in the mid-1950s as a benefit for East Side House Settlement and, by the end of that decade, had firmly established itself as the leading event of its kind in the United States.

To learn more and purchase your tickets, click here.

Mitsukuni Misaki, Blue Color-Glazed Mud Vessel, 2017,  H19 1/2 x W21 3/4 x L9 1/4 in, (H49 x W55 x L23 cm)

Ippodo Gallery
Floating Vessels: Stoneware by Mitsukuni Misaki
January 18 – February 15, 2024
Opening Reception: January 18, 6-8pm (RSVP requested)

Ippodo Gallery is delighted to announce their upcoming exhibition Floating Vessels: Stoneware by Mitsukuni Misaki, the master ceramicist’s return to New York after six years. Showcasing over 30 of Misaki’s latest works, ranging from small vases to majestic containers, the exhibition promises to explore his modern and hand-coiled forms.⁠
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Mitsukuni Misaki’s creations, reminiscent of the timeless ceramics of ancient civilizations, stretch out like a boundless horizon, inviting viewers to connect with the rich legacy of craftsmanship.  Be sure to visit and join the opening reception to witness the evolution of Misaki’s artistic journey.

To learn more, click here.

A Pair of Chinese Export ‘Leake Okeover’ Plates, Qing Dynasty, Qiuanlong Period, circa 1743, d: 9⅛ in. (23 cm.); Estimate: US$8,000-US$12,000, Lot 1, Important Americana: Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Chinese Export Art and Prints

Important Americana: Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Chinese Export Art and Prints
Sotheby’s New York
Live Auction: January 20, 2024 at 10:00am EST
Exhibition Preview: January 12-20, 2024

The Important Americana, Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Chinese Export and Prints auction includes many notable works from important American private collections. Among the fine furniture, decorative arts, silver, and folk art are a few standout Chinese export ceramics such as a pair of elaborately decorated “Leake Okeover” armorial plates and a porcelain hong punch bowl both dating from the Qianlong Period.

To learn more and view the sale, click here.

A China Trade View of Macao, Qing Dynasty, Mid-Late 19th Century, oil on canvas, depicting the view of the Praya Grande from south to north, 16.5 x 29.5 in; Estimate: US$10,000-US$15,000, Lot 138, Americana: Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Chinese Export Art and Prints

Americana: Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Chinese Export Art and Prints
Sotheby’s New York
Online Auction: January 11-20, 2024
Exhibition Preview: January 12-20, 2024

To learn more and view the digital catalog, click here.

A Pair of Chinese Export Porcelain Dragon-Carp Tureens, Covers and Stands, Qianlong Period (1735-1796), 9 ¼ in. (23.5 cm.) long; Estimate: US$40,000-US$60,000, Lot 528, Important Americana

Important Americana
Christie’s New York
Live Auction: January 18, 2:00pm EST (Lots 310-413) and January 19, 10:00am EST (Lots 414-568)
Viewing: January 12-13 & 16-18 (10am-5pm), 14-15 (1-5pm)

Among the offerings in this upcoming auction are forty Chinese export works of art from the Estate of Marvin Davidson including a very rare pair of dragon-carp tureens and stands, a figure group of Europeans formerly in the famed Mottahedeh collection, an ‘erotic’ pedicure group and armorial wares, including a plate from the Okeover service.

To learn more and view these lots, click here.