"Heritage" Exhibition
Onishi Gallery
This event has ended.
Onishi Gallery is proud to present its newest exhibition, “Heritage,” to coincide with Asian Week New York 2012 (March 16-24).
“Heritage” is a visually and conceptually diverse exhibition that offers a unique collection marked by rich expression and style. The artwork represents a wide variety of crafts, from metal-inlay and glass sculpture, to ceramics, porcelain and lacquer ware; and, the artists range vastly in age, personal background, and life experience. “Heritage” not only celebrates these individuals’ artistic talents, but also links Japan with America by presenting developments in deeply rooted Japanese cultural heritage to the New York art world.
Japanese culture is characterized by a harmonious mixture of traditional and contemporary elements, by East and West, and by freedom and restriction. Since the Silk Road made Japan its eastern terminus in the sixth century CE, Japan has developed its traditions and stunning arts through a global exchange of ideas and innovations. Across centuries, these exchanges have enabled the transmission of its cultural heritage from one generation to the next.
Featured in the “Heritage” exhibition is the work of Nakagawa Mamoru, the youngest artist ever to be designated a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government. Recognized in 2004 for his outstanding mastery of Zongan (metal-inlay), this prestigious award was bestowed to him at the age of 56, when the average age is above 80 years old. The Living National Treasure is awarded to individuals who have abilities and skills deemed to be a critical part of Japan's national culture. Following the route of the Silk Road, Mr. Nakagawa has made over 10 trips to Istanbul, Turkey, the cultural crossroads of the East and West, to identify the roots of his craft, nourish that craft with inspiration provided by its birthplace, and then combine that with his contemporary interpretation.
Glass artist Kano Tomohiro is another exceptional contributor to this exhibition. Raised in the favorable surroundings of traditional Japanese culture, Mr. Kano is the 14th generation descendant of Kano Naonobu (1607-1650), one of the most influential painters of the renowned Kano School. The Kano School, a hereditary family that worked as official painters for samurai rulers, dominated the Japanese art world with their aesthetic, the pre-eminent style from the mid-15th to the late-19th centuries. Artwork initially inspired by Zen-Buddhist painting featuring focused, pure, intense forms transmitted from the spiritual force. The Kano artists, however, introduced a more plastic and decorative effect that later came to dominate the designs of mass-produced Ukiyo-e prints, and that continued into modern times. Growing up in the Kano heritage that was deeply rooted in Zen Buddhism and that had endured for 500 years, Mr. Kano discovered himself in the world of glass sculpture. Mr. Kano, inspired by Zen philosophy, went back to the start of the Kano School by concentrating on his own nature, to look inside for enlightenment, and by artistically applying a Zen practice in his daily life. He says, “What I do is the result of reflection; of inspiration and spontaneity. We can find the answers in the same place that we found the questions." His "Amorphous" series directly questions viewers and invites them to discover the universe in glass ovals, which are ephemeral, measured, and unselfconscious, without thinking of the logical order of the universe, but with an open mind, heart, and soul.
Our exhibition exalts the concept of “Heritage,” but what one generation considers cultural heritage may be rejected by the next. Only by working on culture can the cultural heritage flourish with each succeeding generation. Rather than being pressured by such serious responsibilities, however, the artists of “Heritage” follow their hearts to encounter the cultural heritage and revive it by breathing new life into it. The endless time presented in the works of “Heritage” reminds us where we come from and where we are going, thereby helping us to affirm where we are right now.
[Image: L: Kano Tomohiro, "amorphous 003", glass, 3.5 x 5.5 x 3.4 in. (2010), R. Kano Tomohiro "amorphous 004" glass 3.7 x 5.9 x 3.5 in. (2010)]
Media
Schedule
from March 15, 2012 to May 15, 2012
Opening Reception on 2012-03-15 from 18:00 to 20:00