Opening Preview Night Report: SOFA NY 2010

This blog will be updated throughout the fair to find beauty and answer the question which art is being sold at this year’s SOFA New York ? This first edition will report last night’s VIP preview party and introduce the high-light exhibit by New York’s gallery gen.

In their fifth year at SOFA New York, gallery gen was relocated to center stage with a grand view of the massive new work by Yoshiaki Yuki being shown for the first time in New York. Contrasting to these giant reversible twelve-panel screens were his latest works on clay and silver; 46pcs of hand carved tea bowls “stone” which he said he prepared specially for this exhibit. They are just like the first flowers of Spring just waiting to be picked ~ ($95.00/pc)

Many of New Yorks top architects and designers could be seen, immediately reacting to these sculptural screens; their dynamic design for one, but also their unique functional aspect. The artist aimed to achieve a screen which would act to uneven the so often cubic look to the home environment - said Yoshiaki Yuki, who is currently in Kyoto for his current solo exhibition ($10,000). The abstract images representing “regression” (kai-ki) are symbols of the sun and the moon which returns to the sky day in/night out, but still shines our lives with subtle new experiences each time.

Just returning from his exhibit at the Institute of Textile and Clothing in Hong Kong, the fiber art magician Jun-ichi Arai also prepared several new pieces for the show. These includes his classic crush textiles in Black (SOLD) and his more recent Transperancy and Reflection series with the crinkled Gold wall hangings; their half tranparent design making them look almost like glass ($1800). His collaborative work with artist Yoshiaki Yuki of two wall hanging surcoats are also here at SOFA. Inspired by the 16th century battle surcoats jinba-ori worn by the Fuedal Samurai Lords, the purple-black and silver is crested with Yuki’s “enjoyemnt” (Raku), and the gold with “beauty”(Bi) ($2600/pc).

gallery gen has also selected smaller but nonetheless wonderful picks of contemporary Japanese ceramics could also be found at gallery gen’s exhibit. The 37year old Hajime Tamura had two works of porcelain; the white hakuji vessel had a coarse mat finish almost as if clay, but still maintaining the sharp quality of the porcelain clay ($500). Goro Suzuki, the only artist in our time who is able to recreate true 16th century Oribe had his Kuro Oribe Bowl with his signiture squiggled sketch of crows ($11,000). An animal like creature by Masayuki Yamashita is a wood fired ceramic from Yakushima, the island off the tip of southern Japan; a sculpture which has a function as a sake pitcher ($110).

Screens by Bokuma

Left: "Moon and Cherry Blossoms" Right: "Immortal Cranes"

Outside gallery gen booth, the SOFA show offers many fine standing and wall-hanging sculptures, clay seeming to gain a growing popularity. In the following days, we will walk through the SOFA exhibit to select other fine works of art by dealers and see what has been sold.

General Admission Hours
Fri. & Sat., April 16 - 17 11am - 7pm
Sun, April 18 Noon - 6pm
Mon., April 19 11am - 5pm

Park Avenue Armory
Park Avenue at 67th Street

New York, NY 10021


For further information, please contact gallery gen:
718- 392-7717
info@gallerygen.com
www.gallerygen.com


SOFA NY Website
http://www.sofaexpo.com

SOFA new york 2010: the 13th International Exposition of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art

gallery gen cordially invites you to the 13th Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair.

The fair will open next week on Thursday, April 15th
and run through Monday, April 19th.
Sixty galleries from around the world will display
artists who push the boundaries of various mediums
and genre to present cutting-edge contemporary design.


Please visit

gallery gen at Booth 410

where we will be exhibiting the works of our main Japanese artists,
Jun-ichi Arai and Yoshiaki Yuki.

The Opening Night Preview:
Thursday, April 15th 5:30pm – 9:00pm

General Admission Hours:
Friday & Saturday, April 16-17 11am – 7pm
Sunday, April 18 Noon – 6pm
Monday, April 19 11am – 5pm

Park Avenue Armory
Park Avenue at 67th Street
New York, NY 10021

Having received high acclaim at January's Art Palm Beach Show in Florida, we are proud to present Yoshiaki Yuki's new works here in New York at SOFA. His new screen paintings are more massive and dynamic than ever. The shimmering silver and the powerful red and indigo colors will be sure to leave a lasting impression and change your concept of modern art. Titled “Kai-ki – Regression,” these 12-panel screens as well as his asymmetrical modern screens have a wonderful transformational quality that enables you to enjoy the fluidity of these functional arts by shaping them to suit your living environment. Yuki's popular silver ceramic series will also be back with a new selection of designs.

For viewing new works by Yoshiaki Yuki
www.yoshiakiyuki.com

Featuring Artists
Jun-ichi Arai
Bokuma
______________________________________




R. S. V. P. TODAY





If you respond no later than April 14th,
we will automatically place you in a special lottery.
The winners will receive complimentary VIP passesto SOFA NY.


For general admission tickets, please contact gallery gen:
718-392-7717
info@gallerygen.com
www.gallerygen.com


SOFA NY Website
http://www.sofaexpo.com

Save the Date: SOFA new york 2010 - the 13th International Exposition of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art

Artwork above: Yoshiaki Yuki
Asymmetric Screens, 2009, height: 71 in. (180cm)
For detailed artwork info - YoshiakiYuki.com

Be the first to preview Yoshiaki Yuki's massive new work
in our fifth year at SOFA New York.

Opening Night Preview Gala
Thursday April 15th 5:30pm - 9:00pm

Friday & Saturday, April 16-17 11am – 7pm
Sunday, April 18 Noon – 6pm
Monday, April 19 11am – 5pm

SOFA NY Website
http://www.sofaexpo.com
Visitor Information
http://www.sofaexpo.com/NY/2010/visitor.htm

- venue -
Park Avenue Armory

Park Avenue at 67th Street
New York, NY 10021
google map

For Opening Gala and General Admission Tickets,
Please contact gallery gen:
718-392-7717
info@gallerygen.com

Art Palm Beach 2010 Successfully Concluded

gallery gen would like to invite you to view the Art Palm Beach 2010 fair which concluded last Tuesday night.

We would like to express our gratitude to all who came to see the exhibit, and send special thanks to those who went home with a piece of gallery gen.

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.