Japanese Ceramics and Metalwork in Contemporary Design

Japanese Ceramics and Metalwork in Contemporary Design 
March 15 - April 14, 2018

Opening: Thursday, March 15, 6-8pm

In celebration of Asia Week New York 2018 and its 12-year anniversary as a leader of Japanese arts in the international art market of New York City, Onishi Gallery is proud to present this unique new exhibition to Western audiences, "Japanese Ceramics and Metalwork in Contemporary Design." The traditional arts of Japan may be described in many ways, but distinguished beauty, meticulous creative techniques, refined aesthetics, and legacies of heritage are some of the defining characteristics that unite them all. From one generation of artists to the next, Japanese creative tradition is passed down and reinterpreted in a new design and form. For thousands of years, shared customs have reinforced creative structures within which artists seek to express their particular visions an thus, tradition is reborn. In this process, histories, aesthetics, theories, and passions about beauty are re-conceived; and, as this landmark exhibition demonstrates, these notions are shared with community to continually re-define the maker, the muse, and the meaning of the artwork in new cultural contexts and social conditions.

Impressively, this year's exhibition features 28 artists who fall into two categories based on their creative media, ceramics or metalwork. Within this talented group, 10 of the artists have been designated "Living National Treasures" by the government of Japan for their contributions to the preservation and transmission of traditional Japanese artistic heritage. These 28 artists introduce rare reinterpretations of Japanese traditional arts to the international art world, uniquely presented here in the context of Western interior design to bridge history with contemporary circumstance, function with fine aesthetics, creativity with custom, and Eastern with Western tradition.