KOGEI and Art

Onishi Gallery To  Present Japanese KOGEI Exhibition

Onishi Gallery, specializing in KOGEI (contemporary craft art from Japan), is proud to present an exhibition at our new Upper East Side Gallery. Featuring work by six leading artists working in a range of traditional media, KOGEI and Art will run from November 8 until December 20.

“KOGEI” refers to works made using materials and methods that have stood the test of time, reflecting uncompromising dedication to technical perfection and a search for new forms of expression. Both our Salon Art + Design booth and our special gallery show will highlight the growing role of KOGEI in contemporary Western lifestyle and global art and design.

This exhibition  also supports the mission of KOGEI USA, a new not-for-profit established with the goal of raising the reputation of Japanese traditional arts and culture outside Japan by holding exhibitions and cultural events at major museums in the US and Europe.

The six artists highlighted in our gallery exhibition are David Stanley Hewett (b. 1967), Konno Tomoko (b. 1967), Noguchi Ken (b. 1982), Onihira Keiji (b. 1973), Rusu Aki (b. 1976), and Tanaka Terukazu (b. 1945).

Hewett, an American living in Japan, works in the medium of finest Japanese gold leaf applied to canvas or wood, preserving and re-imagining a heritage of gorgeous decoration with its roots in elite samurai culture. Konno makes organic, otherworldly porcelain forms that are both colorful and grotesque, inspiring conflicting feelings of aesthetic delight and existential dread. Noguchi Ken—showing in our gallery for the first time—combines cotton strings with layer after layer of urushi (the sap of the Japanese lacquer tree) to form black, mountain-like sculptures.

Onihira, a native of Wajima, a center of traditional lacquer art struck by a devastating earthquake on New Year’s Day 2024, uses maki-e (sprinkled precious metal powders) and inlay of shell to depict celestial phenomena on lacquer boxes. Employing industrial iron-processing techniques, Rusu creates powerful sculpture that reflects the inherent qualities of one of the planet's most abundant metals. Tanaka, a former artist in residence at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, makes boxes from a combination of silver, copper, and Japan’s unique traditional alloys.

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ONISHI GALLERY

Location

16 E 79th Street, Ground Floor, New York, NY 10075

Gallery Contact

Nana Onishi

212.695.8035; nana@onishigallery.com; www.onishigallery.com

Dates

November 8–December 20, 2024

Hours

Tuesdays–Fridays, 10am–5pm (closed November 27–29)

Media Contacts for Onishi Gallery

Andrey & Melissa Public Relations

a@andreyandmelissa.com

m@andreyandmelissa.com

About KOGEI USA

KOGEI USA is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization recently established with the goal of raising the reputation of Japanese traditional arts and culture outside Japan by holding exhibitions and cultural events at major museums in the US and Europe.

About Living National Treasures

“Living National Treasure” (Ningen Kokuhō) is the term popularly applied in Japan to individuals designated “Preservers of Important Intangible Cultural Properties” (Jūyō Mukei Bunkazai Hojisha) by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology under a system inaugurated in 1955.