ASIA WEEK NEW YORK AUTUMN 2024 EXHIBITION
The Spirit of Noto: Urushi Artists of Wajima and Waves of Resilience
Online Viewing Room Opens September 20, 2024
Opening Reception: Tuesday, October 1, 6-8pm
October 1 – 26, 2024
In partnership with KOGEI USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Japanese art abroad, we are pleased to present two concurrent exhibitions: The Spirit of Noto: Urushi Artists of Wajima and Waves of Resilience. In collaboration with the Wajima Lacquer in New York Executive Committee, 10% of sales will support earthquake recovery efforts in the Noto Peninsula, a historic hub of fine lacquer craftsmanship.
Curated by owner Nana Onishi, The Spirit of Noto: Urushi Artists of Wajima highlights three Living National Treasures—Yamagishi Kazuo, Komori Kunie, and Mae Fumio—alongside twelve local artists, all working with urushi, the sap of the Japanese lacquer tree.
Waves of Resilience features luxury tableware designed, curated, and directed by New York-based interior designer Melissa Bowers, in partnership with Senshudo, a renowned Wajima lacquerware company. The eleven-piece luxury tabletop collection reflects Japan’s seas, skies, and journeys of healing, using the traditional art of lacquer to reflect the normally tranquil beauty of the earthquake-affected local landscape and the strength of its people. Featuring an incense holder, trays, cup, vase, platter, charger, trays, a bar, a coaster set, and other vessels, it merges classical techniques with contemporary aesthetics.
We are also excited to inaugurate our new 1,200-square-foot Upper East Side location in the historic Sidney Ripley mansion, built in 1905 and designed by Warren and Wetmore in Neo-Georgian style during the opening of these two new exhibits,
To learn more, click here and to view our online catalog, click here.
Our Gallery is Moving!
We are excited to announce that we will be moving to the Upper East Side after being in Chelsea for 20 years as of October 1, 2024. We look forward to inaugurating our new space at 16 E 79th Street, Ground Floor with two exciting exhibitions, The Spirit of Noto: Urushi Artists of Wajima and Waves of Resilience. Please join us for this special opening reception on Tuesday, October 1st from 6-8pm!
ABOUT THE GALLERY
Since its opening in 2005, Onishi Gallery has featured contemporary Japanese artists who work in a range of media, including ceramics, metalwork, lacquer, glass, sculpture and painting. These artists are united in their common embrace of tradition in the creative process, and they are distinct in their exquisite and diverse modes of expression. Onishi Gallery merges the past with the present through the presentation of historically rich explorations of traditional art forms and ambitions experimentations in new formats in the center of the international contemporary art scene in New York City.
The Japanese Government has designated several artists that Onishi Gallery represents as Preservers of Important Intangible Cultural Properties, more commonly known as “Living National Treasures.” The Minister of Culture considers locality, tradition and the perpetuation of historic techniques when awarding this title to artists. Once an artist is recognized as a Living National Treasure, their profile publicized on a national and global level, dramatically increasing the value of their work. Many of these artists have works that are included in the permanent collections of major museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Worcester Museum of Art. The system aims to not only celebrate and preserve the historic artistic traditions of Japan, but challenge living artists to continuously improve and incorporate their own individual style while still mastering their craft.
