gallery gen would like to invite you to view the Art Palm Beach 2010 fair which concluded last Tuesday night.
This year, there was a general sense of nervousness amongst the exhibitors, as the word ‘economy’ could be heard throughout the show floor.
During the six day event with over 16,000 visitors however, there were some galleries who did exceptionally well. To name a few, Habatat Galleries specializing in contemporary glass stood strong; and another gallery from Long Island City - Dean Project with sculptures and contemporary photography did very well on his first year at the fair.
The dominant works on exhibit were two and three dimensional wall hanging pieces, however, a considerable amount of the smaller three dimensional objects were seen with red dots. There was a larger selection of Latin-American artists and fewer contemporary Chinese Art in comparison to last year.
We were happy to see Aldo Castillo who has represented Yoshiaki Yuki in Chicago, with his curatorial exhibition “Next Generation.”
One disappointing reflection of the current climate was that there was a sense amongst Palm Beach collectors to lean towards works created by established artists, though there were many beautiful works on show by artists less well known.
gallery gen featured the wide collection of works by Yoshiaki Yuki, and the lush textiles by Jun-ichi Arai. With the exception of Browngrotta Arts of Connecticut, gallery gen was the only exhibitor to offer artists from Japan, which was well received increased interest in Japan, not only in the arts but also on the cultural level as a whole.
The Consul General of Japan, Yoshiharu Namiki (far left) also came to view our latest collection, together with the members from the Morikami Museum of Florida, and Larry Rosenweig from the Norton Museum in Palm Beach.
As you approached our booth, you will see Yuki’s bold brush strokes carving the image of the sun. Yuki has executed this on the lavish twelve feet wide silver screen titled Kai-Ki (right).
Many of the visitors from last year recognized Yuki’s work immediately, for they clearly had a presence even amongst the other thousands of works on show.
Unlike the other 'solid' objects in the fair, the free forming fluidity of this piece proved to spark much interest. They gave the viewers an opportunity to imagine how it would transform by shaping and re-shaping the screen and what effect that would have in their living environment.
Contrasts to this were Yuki’s latest paintings on screens which fused his signature red textures with traditional indigo. The six foot high irregular shaped two and three panel screens (above) received serious attention. Yuki’s unique sense for design has allowed the traditional ‘screen’ to move away from their traditional role as ‘furniture’ and towards ‘sculpture’, though still inheriting their quality as a functional art.
Yuki’s paintings imbedded in the three-layered acryl found new owners, who included professional art consultant Bob Koo (below), interior designers, as well as private collectors.
The silver ceramics attracted quite a frenzy, for their quality and affordability. By the end of the six day event, 57 pieces out of the 60 small bowls brought from Japan for this show literally walked out the door.
The crush textile piece by Jun-chi Arai drew a lot of attention, and were often mistaken as a sculpture made of glass (right / close up below). Two new collectors went home with our limited Jun-ichi Arai collection (below). 
With the Art Palm Beach 2010 now concluded, these works are on its way to New York for their preview in our Long Island City showroom.
We look forward to seeing you in New York and also hope to see you at the coming SOFA New York 2010 exhibit in April.
